Aaaaannnd they're over

Today I turned 30. I'm sure there is an exact time or something, but we'll just go with the day in total. I have found the most commonly asked question when you turn, or are turning, 30 is some variation of "are you going to lose your mind because you aren't a 20-something anymore." I have been getting this question for approximately two months, and here is my answer, I feel that I got everything I needed and everything that was available from my twenties, and am as ready as ever to rock my thirties. This is not to say that I didn't miss opportunities and that my way of living is the recommended way, but it worked for me and I wouldn't change it. Here is some of what I learned,
In the year 2000, at the age of 20, I was a two time college drop out and certain that I didn't know how to be independent because I couldn't cut it away at college. So, I decided to spend a summer at Maidstone Lake. I spent the summer working at a country club with a bunch of kids my age just trying to make life happen. That summer gave me a lot, probably more then words can express. The fact that I not only never felt the need to go running home, but made friends and thoroughly enjoyed a new experience which helped me to regain a lot of self respect and confidence and probably was the event that set the tone for how I chose to live my 20s. I made mistakes and I definitely didn't follow any laid out paths, but damnit I had fun. I made more friends then I lost, including reconnecting with old friends. Following a pretty intense quarter-life crisis, I went back (at age 25) and finished that college education, for better or worse. I celebrated my friends marriages and the births of their children, knowing full well I wasn't yet ready for either. I did my best to be the best friend I could be, not always getting it right, but hopefully not repeating the same mistake twice. I found that I was lucky enough to be related to my best friends, and that my parents did a really good job. What I thought I knew at 20, I will probably never really know, and it's probably more fun that way. I partied too hard, but came out the other end with no permenant damage and some fantastic memories. I still don't want to know what I want to be when I grow up, or if I even want to grow up. What will I take to my 30s...all of it and then some, can't wait :)