In just a few days, I will be 30! Where has the time gone? This year is my “Golden Birthday” — I’m turning the same age as the numeral of my birthday, 30 on the 30th! Time has flown by and I just want to recap on things that I have learned on this journey to my Golden Birthday.

When I Grow Up…

When I was a young child, I used to tell people, “I want to be a professional soccer player when I grow up…” not realizing that was not a profession. Why is this important? Because the older I got, the more of a realization it became that I would not be playing professional soccer. However, I continued to hustle and have a determined mindset that I would be able to accomplish what I wanted through hard work and perseverance.

After graduating high school, I was off to play soccer in college and it was amazing. But now that I had accomplished my goal, what was to come next? All my life, I dedicated my time to playing soccer and making it to the next level. Was there life after that? What was the life I wanted after that? Would I have time for a relationship now? Did I want a relationship?

Life After Soccer

After this time, I had lots of ups and downs. I won’t get into the details of all the wrongs and rights that happened, but I will say that I met a lot of great people along the way. People who offered their love, support, a shoulder to cry on, and back up if I ever needed it. To those people, I say “thank you!” I felt so lost, alone, and let down. I felt like I was not prepared for life after soccer.

I ended up as a cheerleader for two years in college as well, but something was still missing. I took some time away from school to try and figure things out before getting back on the grind to finish up all my schooling.

I guess, in a sense, this was my Eat, Pray, Love/Wild/Into the Wild portion of my life. I was searching for a sense of direction, belonging, and love. I know that sounds so cheesy, but I really was searching for a real love. I wanted to be with someone who I could talk to for hours and hours without having a weird expectation at the end of the conversation. I wanted to have what I did not have at home: stability, peace, love and happiness.

Of course, when I was going through this hike in my life, words were said about me that were not true. People were saying some really nasty lies about me, and I really did not care. This part of my life was for no one else and only I could truly understand what I needed. 

Back to my Roots

About two years later, I visited Mexico City on a work trip and was amazed by the amount of art, history, great-tasting food, music and so much more. It was during this trip I realized what I truly wanted. I was in a stable relationship with a young man who would forever change my life. I was battling depression and anxiety and I drank more than I should have. My life was really tumbling out of control before this man came into my life.

I got back into school, took it seriously, toned down my wild ways and focused on my goals in life. I studied History in college and truly loved it. With his support, not only would I finally finish my degree, but I would go to my dream school, get my dream education (minus the student loans), and find happiness along the way.

We got married, had a child, bought a house, and live every day in peace. This does not equate to my life not being a mess. We have arguments, cry, and have rough days just like any other normal couple. But at the end of the day, we all say, “good night” and “I love you” and talk about our highs and lows of the day. It’s what makes us understand how much we appreciate one another and also learn what we need to apologize for or possibly explain what got taken out of context.

We have respect for each other in our house. We love each other in our house unconditionally. We stand united in our house.

The Moral of the (Birthday) Story

For my Golden Birthday, I have found what my heart was looking for: peace, love, stability, and happiness.

People will say negative things to your face and behind your back, but always stay true to yourself.

Know your worth. Stay focused on your end goal.

You will lose people along the way, and that’s okay. As long as you are being your truest you, nothing else matters. Cheers!