Thirty & Single, Exclamation point
We were raised (cue millennials and up) to think being single in your 30s is a death sentence.
That there must be something awful and utterly wrong if your left hand is not weighed down with a 2-karat princess cut after the age of 29. If you are in this category and not hearing these concerns (from your friends, family, your neighbors, regular bagel shop owner, just everyone) you bet it’s in the back of their minds with every, “you are so brave.”
As the self-proclaimed leading member of this group, I can honestly say it’s actually... pretty great. Bible, as the pop culture sisters would say. But I didn’t get to this point over night. It took me a few months before my thirtieth birthday to truly feel good about being single.
I can’t imagine marrying the guy I was with at age twenty, or twenty-five or just over a year ago.
What is border line hell though, is dating in your thirty’s. Half of the time it’s strictly torcher and the other half is really freaking awesome. It’s like Lizzie McGuire at the Trevi X Letters to Juliette and every other Mediterranean rom com set in the early 2000s. And yes, those Hollywood blockbuster date nights only happen when I’m in Italy.
I’m not going to glamorize all Italian men because the same players, narcists and creeps live in every country (for God knows what reason). You can even find yourself a piece of dry toast here every so often.
Still, dating in Italy as a 30-year-old Americana is often worthy of a steamy SATC spin off.
After a certain age, (I can’t believe I just said that) or certain amount of experience, the dating world feels different. You’ve found self-love and will not let anyone take that away. You know what you want and more importantly, what you don’t- so turning down toxic invitations gets easier.
You start saying yes to new things, people and curly haired men named Matteo who take you on a scooter date through Rome- extra points if he helps with your helmet.
Anything that makes you happy while letting things unfold naturally. You can actually enjoy dating because even if he’s not your match, you will have an incredible time, with memories to match. x
