Sep. 11: Thursday Thirteen #10

I haven’t participated in Thursday Thirteen for a few weeks. Life got really hectic and I couldn’t put the time into coming up with 13 anythings. But I’m back this week. Being that today is an anniversary, I feel I should do something related to September 11 but I don’t want to because it would be depressing and bring everybody down. Instead, I’ll do a list related to me and bring myself down.

Next week I will turn 40 years old; thus, today I start the last week of being thirty-anything. Here are 13 things that happened in the past decade that changed my life.

Thirteen thirtysomethings

1. The biggie: I became a mom. Katie was born when I was 31; Jack when I was 33.
   
2. I hung on to much of my pregnancy weight and hate myself for it.
   
3. The other biggie: My dad died when I was 36. People who say adults don’t need their parents are wrong or lying. My dad was far from SuperDad, but I was not done with him yet, and I miss him every single day.
   
4. I re-claimed my mother when I was 36. She got a long-overdue divorce from a “man” who was selfish, judgmental and completely farked in the head. (I should be commended on my restraint in leaving the description of him brief and profanity-free.) It was dreadful to watch her go through the divorce, but the bonus is that now my mom is my mom again. I adore her, I admire her, and I am very, very proud of whom she is.
   
5. I finally made a break from the church in which I was raised. This happened gradually, but I reached the point of no return when I was 34. Later, when my mom’s 23-year marriage crumbled the way it did and I saw how “our” church handled it (by pretending they didn’t notice), I was more sure than ever that I had made a good decision. For me, this feels right. I am happy living a life that has nothing to do with organized religion.
   
6. At almost 33 I watched in horror as the events of September 11, 2001 unfolded. Like many people, I feel that my priorities in life changed that day.
   
7. Although I can’t pinpoint an actual age that it happened, I became more convicted about my political views in my 30s.
   
8. I attended my 20th high school reunion when I was 37. I know some people dread these events, but I thought it was an absolute blast.
   
9. My husband and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary when I was 38. I never doubted we’d make it that far, but I (we) still feel very proud of that milestone.
   
10. I was laid off a job that I loved when I was 31. The company closed during my maternity leave, and when I was ready to go back to work, there was no job to return to. I started doing the same kind of work as an independent contractor and am still doing it almost nine years later.
    
11. I started a family web site, which evolved over the years into this blog, when I was 31.
    
12. At 38, I became an ordained reverend of the Universal Life Church. Their doctrine? Do that which is right. No Jesus-freak, holier-than-thou stuff.
    
13. Exciting travel firsts: I traveled to Europe when I was 32, went on a Caribbean cruise when I was 34, turned 36 while at Disney World, and went to Canada when I was 39.

Next week: Things I hope to see happen in my 40s.