By Dr. Janine O’Brien
Turning 30: Questions Without Answers
I remember the morning I turned 30. I woke up next to my then-partner, wondering what the day and the year ahead had in store for me. I also remember that alongside the anticipation there was a sense of unease. A kind of questioning I could not quite name.
At the time, I had just started my career after spending most of my twenties in graduate school, unsure where it would all lead. I didn’t have a dollar to my name, I was living in a small, converted garage apartment that I rented, was in a relationship that I knew deep down was not right for me, and was honestly pretty lost. I have always been someone who questions the status quo and who doesn’t necessarily feel pulled toward the traditional milestones or timelines, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still hear that inner voice asking: Why am I not “there” yet? Or worse: What’s wrong with me that I don’t want those things?
A New Lens Approaching 40
A decade later, as I approach 40, I’ve found myself revisiting those questions through a different lens – not with shame, but with curiosity. What does it really mean to be “on pace or on time”? Who defines progress and how do our identities shape the ways we navigate life’s transitions?
