The Pace of Thirty

🎥 Just Thirty_netflix

I started watching .

As I go through each episode, being the same age as the protagonists, I find myself wondering where my own thirties stand.

Manni lives diligently, dreaming of social climbing like a modern-day Cinderella, which honestly isn’t my style. I don’t really like people like Xiaoqin, but ironically, I wish I had her naive cheerfulness. Gu Jia’s solid and mature demeanor, always meticulously caring for her husband, son, father, and even the crybaby Xiaoqin, and decisively leading her family, seems admirable. But when Gu Jia is tired and hurting, who does she lean on? A sad feeling washes over me.

The more I get to know Gu Jia, the more similarities I find with myself, and I keep rooting for her. It’s still early in the drama, so I don’t know how it will unfold, but I hope Gu Jia is the happiest of the three.

It truly is just thirty. And I still have ten more months to fill in the first year of my thirties. This is a passage that reminds me of a writing by my favorite music critic, Cha Woo-jin.

📎

One of the most common worries in your 20s is ‘When will I become an adult?’ And one of the most common things people say when they turn 30 is ‘I don’t think you can ever truly become an adult.’ …I think. **

Just because I’m thirty, I don’t want to pile more burdens onto my already tense shoulders. Of course, it won’t be easy to completely ignore the creeping pressure that’s rising, but I will steadily strive to create and maintain my own speed, stride, and breath, and live days without comparing myself to others.