Take-off

This blog is inspired by the many conversations I have had with dear friends over tea, wine and chocolate about being in our thirties in a changing time.  Our talks have been filled with as much laughter as tears, while we grapple with what it means to be thirty-something in a time when roles are no longer clear and models have broken down.

We are asking questions like, Should I marry him? Why did I marry him? Should I have a baby? Will I ever find a career I like?  How do I go back to work after years as a stay at home mother? Will I ever fit in those jeans again? How do I find happiness?  How do I find stability? How do I find love?

Being thirty-something in 2011 is decidedly undefined.  We are a varied bunch: full time mothers, full time professionals, aspiring artists, newly married, newly divorced, seeking love, happily single, new college graduates, PhD's. We are leaving the turbulent angst  of our 20's behind, but we are still taking off; not quite at cruising altitude.

We are defining our age while simultaneously living through it.  This task can be as daunting as it is exciting.  In a time when the lessons from the past no longer seem relevant and the course of the future is unclear, community can be grounding.

The purpose of this blog is thus twofold: 1) to help me make sense of the changing times in my life and 2) to hopefully create a conversation and community built around shared experiences.

I could not possibly adequately cover the myriad of issues facing women in their thirties.  I will instead begin by focusing on the themes I see come up most with the women I know best:

1) Children-to have or not to have
2) Career- the dance between passion and stability
3) Relationships-being in one, getting out of one, finding one.

These also happen to be the areas I have been moving through most deeply the last few years.  My writings will of course be slanted by my experience, my perspective and my personality.  I aim to share as openly as possible, for I believe that the truth of experience reaches beyond the diversity of circumstance.  Despite this aim there will be differences between my opinions and yours.  I encourage, invite and cajole you to comment on my posts.  Share your experiences with us, offer your guidance or just tell us a joke.