The Blahs

I went to Target the other day and I was so excited! I got this deodorant that makes my underarms smell like candy (technically known as eucalyptus blossom) and this new laundry detergent that has a great scent that lasts for a long time. I've been going to bed fairly early every night and taking really good care of my health. I like my new job and I've been networking, trying to get more clients for my business. Everything is going well, I can't complain.

Except...I've got a case of the thirty-something blahs.

Oh, you could tell? Hmmm...it must have been the candied armpits that gave it away. (But they do smell really good.)

Many people I know who've made it to their thirties are quite content to be there. The chaos, drama and mayhem of our twenties are over, which, for most of us, is quite a relief. We're no longer trying to figure who we are, what we like and what we want. A lot of us are on a career path; some have made it to the top of our game. Some of us are happily single, happily married, or something in between. For all intents and purposes, we are settled.

And I'm kind of bored.

Now I may be alone in the blahs, but after several recent conversations with other thirty-somethings, I don't believe that to be true. How can you tell if you've got the blahs? Here are 7 signs that may apply (reply) to you:

1. You don't want to wake up in the morning. Not because you're depressed or you hate your job, but because you're already bored with your day.
2. You start calling your friends in the middle of the night just to piss them off.
3. You pretend to have various physical ailments so you can have something interesting to talk about.
4. You pick fights with your partner to stir up some “passion” (but it's really just good old-fashioned drama).
5. You reunite with your imaginary friend because it's good to get an outsider's perspective sometimes.
6. You start making up stories to tell your therapist so your life seems less boring than it is.
7. You have a kid.

Clearly, these signs are not scientifically based, so please take them with the grains of salt on the rim of your margarita.

My boredom is not manifested in a bad, existential crisis-y kind of way, just more in a like, ho-hum, what's next kind of way. There are a lot of things that I want to experience, places I want to go, things I want to see. And there's really nothing stopping me, but for one thing: MONEY!!!!! Okay, and time too. And responsibilities. I guess it's more than one thing. Sigh.

 

I remember being a teenager and wanting to be an adult soooooo badly. No one told me that it's kind of overrated and more than a little tedious at times. I often feel pulled between two ideals: living a kind of bohemian, free-spirited lifestyle, where there are no commitments, obligations or real responsibilities to tie you down versus a driven, ambitious, stable and comfortable lifestyle, where there's no need to worry where your next meal is coming from because the fridge is stocked and you have a lovely place to lay your head down. I was recently having a conversation (not at a bar, but it did involve festive libations) with friends about what would we would do if we had a ridiculous amount of money. They had all kinds of things and plans on their lists. I didn't have much to contribute, but what I realized is that what I really want is just the freedom to do what I want, when I want.

So here's my plan of action: meet a rich older man who's looking to take care of a hot young thang, who likes to travel and take me exciting places! That's an excellent idea! Hush, I am still (kinda) young! Or I could just stick to my original plan of wining the lottery.

I guess I better go buy that lottery ticket.