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Friends- This post is neither about rum, nor about analysis of the world porn industry, nor about the action movie we all love – even though I am sure all the things I just mentioned have been an integral part of almost all men at some point in time of their lives (either all together, or in parts). 

The title is the Roman numerical 30 and this post is about turning 30.  I could have chosen this as a title for the post, but thought the current one suits best.  I’d be turning 30 this Wednesday, and thought about writing something on reaching the milestone age (as everyone says)!

Things around you change quite drastically by the time you turn 30, some change dramatically as well.  You start thinking more seriously about your life (or atleast you think you are), you take time to introspect and correct the wrong things (which, unnecessarily you think are too many), you set targets to be achieved in the coming years etc.  Balancing life’s balance sheet till now takes importance over other things – knowing your assets and liabilities and bucketing everything according to these two, rigid, but important aspects of life.  You tend to bucket everyone and everything into these two classifications, let it be your friends, relatives, priorities, or even day to day work. 

You suddenly feel wiser, if not older once you are close to hitting 30.  You start taking things more seriously than ever and eventually land-up on having an opinion on everything.  You also start preaching when it’s not required.  Your knowledge bank suddenly feels to have increased multi-fold and you start advising everyone who’s around (even when they don’t ask for it!).  Some also feel the necessity to help others out of their way and mark it as their good deed of the day, month, or year, depending on the quality of the deed.  A certain feeling of protecting people around you and the ones you love grasps your personality.  

You start getting advice (from other who are turning 30) on your health issues, even if you have none.  Dude, start this, try this, reduce this, control this….good for your health are the words you hear most often as you approach that age.  Concern calls from your relatives, friends, and acquaintances hit the roof even when you are down with a common cold.  Recently, I was down with common cold and cough and I got all sorts of advice on “How to battle common cold!” It seemed like it was the first time I ever got common cold and I suddenly started feeling awful about myself – thinking that I’ll never get better!  Such was the effect of so many suggestions to “take care” of myself.  I am sure we go through a lot of physical changes post 30 but as long as one realizes it, I think it should be fine.  You have to change the way you treat yourself (in short what you have been doing till now) when you are sick as you are 30 NOW.  Even a kilogram of weight gain will let you have atleast ten suggestions as to how to maintain your cholesterol levels and how important is a workout in your life now.  Yoga, meditation, pranayama,morning walks, and what not would be suggested to you instead of burning that extra fat on the treadmill.  It’s not like it used to be 5 years back dude – is the most irritating sentence I have heard several times from my friends, who are easily beyond 30!  Even though it might be true, it makes me feel I’m 80 not thirty.

Getting done early at parties, eating a bit less (totally unintentionally), sleeping early (as compared to a couple of years earlier) etc. are taken as signs of growing old! Your body can’t take it anymore, is the second-most irritating line I’ve heard.  However, like I mentioned earlier, these lines go on to the liabilities side (left hand side) of the balance sheet and easily pass through my other ear!  Greying hair, dry skin, body aches etc. are bound to happen as your body undergoes hormonal changes.  Whats there to worry about it so much? I totally fail to understand the special treatment to be given to ourselves as we reach 30…What I understand is, while it's important to take your health and life seriously it is equally important to live happily! It is important not to fret too much about things that you can’t control, don’t worry about the challenges life throws at you but accept them, tackle them, and simply move ahead.  Bad times are always followed by good ones and it’s important for us to enjoy these good times instead of worrying about the bad times to come in the future. See, I told you, you start being preachy as you turn 30!