Birthday

It’s my birthday and I’m one year older (having left South Korea’s age-hierarchy, I sometimes forget how old I am). Now, I’m 28 in South Korea, and 27 internationally. Here I am, in my late-twenties.

My one-year-older-self does not really feel any different than my one-year-younger-self, but progressing to a different age category does make me realize that I am getting older. I guess that’s why people in their late 20’s feel the weight of the age 30. Moving into the 20's category felt like an exciting adventure when we were teenagers, but progressing into the 30's does make us feel a lot, whether it be good or bad.

I think it could be because society has different expectations for people in certain age groups. Normally, we believe 10’s should be the time to prepare ourselves for adulthood, 20’s should be the time to explore and experience, and 30’s should be the time to settle down. That may be the reason why people in their late 20’s could be scared of becoming 30. We should start ‘adulting’, but not all of us know what life directions we want to take. What career path should we choose and follow? What kind of life partner do we want? What city/country do we want to live in? These are immensely important questions that can dictate many parts of our lives and need careful consideration, yet we push ourselves to make those decisions because we are pressured by our ages.

I don’t think we need to rush ourselves only because we are getting older. At least in my case, I still have so many things I have not discovered about myself, and am endlessly curious about things I haven’t seen or experienced. I still have to catch up on ‘growing up’ to make those serious life decisions. Everyone’s life progresses at a different speed. We don’t need to feel anxious about not having someone to get married to or continuously moving around.

Regardless, I do feel responsibilities in my life: the responsibility to not be ashamed of the days I have spent so far, and the responsibility to care for and respect people around me. On this year’s pre-birthday night, I am thinking out loud: to me, adulting is more about taking these responsibilities and less about settling down.