How Do You Want To Spend Your 30s?

This season has given me a nice amount of time to reflect and think about myself and different areas of my life. More specifically, the areas where I’ve been unhappy and heavily discontented. Some things could be better, and I’ve actively been working to improve them.

I know 2020 has not been the year many of us thought it would be. I mean, really, who could have anticipated a disruption like a global pandemic? While it’s certainly been quite a year and a lot of changes have taken place, this was also the year I turned 30. While I was able to celebrate with my family, I had some additional exciting birthday plans fall through, as well as some other things that were delayed and denied because of everything that’s happened. And with these things happening and more, I’ve realized that there will never be a perfect time or ideal conditions to change certain parts of your life you desire change or to make decisions about the direction you want your life to go. I am up to me. And my life is up to me too.

One of the biggest things for me will be eliminating as much stress from my life as I can. And that will involve taking some big risks and incredible leaps of faith that I believe will be good for me. I’m honestly not certain how everything’s going to turn out or work out, but I know this: I deserve better. I deserve to be happy. And I deserve the best. I will not spend my 30s the same way I spent my 20s. I refuse to remain in any situation that brings unnecessary stress in my life or to stay connected to anyone or anything that brings problems into my space, disrupts my peace, and is not adding value or yielding fruit in my life. When I think about different situations I’ve stayed in and hoped and prayed would get better, they only got worse. And I don’t want to live my life like that. I believe I can do better. And so can you.

So let me ask you this, how do you want to spend your 30s? Set aside some time alone and figure it out. You may be surprised what you discover.

The Day I Became A Kidney Donor

About a year ago, I had a dream my dad wanted to talk to our family about something serious. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to discuss, but I knew it was something I needed to prepare myself for. Around the time after I had this dream, I remember stopping by my parents place and sensing something was going on that they weren’t telling me. I tried to dismiss what I’d been feeling, but I couldn’t shake it. Something serious was happening. As I returned to my home after visiting them one day, I was in my kitchen washing dishes when a heaviness hit my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. Something’s wrong with dad. That’s what that dream was about. God, what’s going on? As I continued washing dishes, I started crying and praying. Then in mid-spring, my dad held an unexpected family meeting that would change all our lives forever. He hesitated at first, and as his voice started cracking and he started crying, he said, “Well, I wanted to talk to ya’ll to tell you that I have kidney disea...

I’m Glad I’m Not Married

When I was about five years old, I was sitting in the backseat of my dad’s car when me, him, my older cousin (my aunt’s son), and my aunt (my dad’s sister) caught my aunt’s fiancé with another woman. My dad had been driving my aunt out to run some errands since she didn’t have a driver’s license or a car. When she spotted her man with another woman, she told my dad to pull the car over, got out of the car, and immediately addressed him. She wanted the keys back to her apartment and was done with him. The other woman she caught her fiancé with slapped him when she realized what was happening, and that was that. When my aunt returned to the car, she was clearly and understandably upset, and the ride back to her place was quiet. Although I was too young to fully grasp what was happening at the time, I knew it wasn’t good. And now, at 34 years old, I can’t imagine how much pain she was in. Her wedding had been planned and paid for – and she never made it down the aisle. My aunt was a beaut...

How To Respond To A Nasty Email

Technology has made many people bold, rude, and incredibly messy. Often to the point where some may hide behind words they’ve typed instead of verbally communicating a message they want to convey. Such can be the case when it comes to sending emails. Ah, emails. You know what they are. Electronic messages that can be quickly drafted, sent, and misinterpreted (because you can’t always interpret tones or emotions through them). Which is why it’s key to know how to respond to nasty emails if they should ever come your way – especially in the workplace. As a working professional, there have been plenty of times when a coworker or superior sent an email my way that was petty, mad disrespectful, and unprofessional. And before I learned how to properly utilize email etiquette, my first instinct would always be to clap back. I just felt the need to respond and to communicate that I wouldn’t allow anyone, no matter who they were, to disrespect me. And while I haven’t taken t...

Making Waves