On being 30…

I turned 30 some days ago! As excited as I was to hit this milestone (I’ve been waiting for it for some time), I feel it comes with some kind of responsibility. I don’t exactly know why.. maybe because thirty feels like I’m more adult than I was in my twenties.

At some point in my life, I had been made to feel so young to be a mom by those around me. They always wondered how I became a mom at 18 and constantly made it a point that I am yet to mature. They had it that motherhood at thirty, for instance, is so much different than at eighteen or even the early twenties; you get to see things differently or even become somewhat more responsible and mature. That is what they said, creating a longing in me to experience life (as well as motherhood) at 30.

Since I was in high school, I’ve always looked at thirty as a big ‘milestone’. I thought of it as a special checkpoint at which I should have accomplished major things in my life, mainly academic or career-related achievements. Little did I know then that my biggest accomplishment would be being a mother. It’s truly amazing how life unfolds for each one of us and how utterly different the scenario we had created in our minds is from the reality.

Growing up, in general, is a scary concept for me and it becomes more so the more I grow up. However, it also means that Allah is giving us a golden chance every extra day we spend on this Earth. I am ever so grateful to Allah for blessing me with 30 years on this Earth, in spite of my shortcomings. I’m looking forward to forty as well inshaAllah (God Willing).

They say “Age is just a number” and that one may feel young at heart (or wild at heart) regardless of one’s true age. I believe thirty best describes me as I’ve come a long way in this journey called Life – by the Grace of Allah – and can’t be more thankful for that.