A few thoughts on my 28th birthday

I'm not one to take birthdays too seriously, but as the clock ticks away toward the inevitable Saturn Return, I figure I might as well take stock of my current situation in life.

Things are good, relatively speaking. I have a job that involves two of my most favorite things (writing and technology), even though I would like a lot more flexibility in terms of what I can do. I'm slowly working my way there, though it'll probably take longer than I thought it would. I need to work up the GTD process in my life though, because there have been too many days lately where I've felt stressed and overwhelmed by work.

I tend to blow too much steam about the ins and outs of my social life, but it's actually not that bad. I think part of my problem was that I was an only child, and as an only child, I didn't really need to shout and scream to get attention -- I got attention whether I liked it or not. I think this may have prompted me to be a lot more reserved than most people. It also created a weird "growing up" phase later in life where I was trying to get the attention of friends, but at the same time wanting to be reserved and quiet, and thinking that it wouldn't work that way. After a few years in and out of social circles, I've now realized that I could be both quiet *and* social, at the same time. It's a nice thing to finally understand this after all these years.

I think I've also entered one of the more challenging years of my life. I'm taking a lot more financial responsibility, and it's time for me to finally be a full-fledged adult. I have to work smarter, not harder. Long-term goals have to be incorporated into short-term ones. This year, I need to stand out, and I've not yet reached that precipice, but I hope to get there eventually. I'm so deep in career mode, it's scary.

Of course, life is a lot more complicated than that, but right now, it's pretty good. I had a birthday picnic in the park last Saturday, where several of my friends came out to hang with me, and some of them even gave me gifts. Then when my birthday rolled around yesterday, I received quite a number of birthday wishes as well. And then my dear husband treated me to a lovely sushi dinner. All in all, a subtle but happy birthday experience.

Here's to another year!