Before 30

Last July, around the time I turned 29, I made a list that I haven't looked at since. Contradictory to its title, it contained 24 items. With a hesitant bemusement leaning towards bewilderment, I looked at the list tonight. It is labeled "Thirty Before Thirty." And things aren't looking good, folks.

First of all, I only had 24 items on a supposed 30-item-long list. I managed to add four realistic tasks and cross out two I've accomplished. I bolded six items that simply aren't going to happen. There's only one that I am disappointed in, which will carry over to next year's 30 while 30 list; I've lost interest in the other five for now.

When I turned 28, I cried. (An amazing friend took me to the zoo the day I turned 29; my despair was mollified by penguins and otters.) I recognized that 27 was the last age that sounded young. It was my last chance of not being taken seriously. Now everything is so serious. All the time.

Older people like to act offended when someone younger than them expresses discontent at the aging process. Well, guess what—you had your day. And my actual complaint is that time is going by so freaking fast. 

For nearly seven years, I have been saying, "I was just 23 five minutes ago!" and I plan on saying that for years to come. 

So I'm putting this out into the blogiverse which is dangerously close to blog-averse: How do you manage the passing of time? How do you slow down? How do you put it all in perspective? What's on your "list"? And is it wrong to add "Visit Detroit" to mine?