Obama, President of My 30s
Today is my 29th birthday.
Before I woke up, I was having a dream in which Owen Wilson was completely in love with me.
But then, I woke up, and I remembered that I was now 29, as of 8:05 AM. And in pretty much the same place I've been in since I was 19. If I didn't have to eat or pee, I'd still be hiding under my covers.
Actually, one thing will be much different this year: Barack Obama will be inaugurated on January 20th, which makes this weekend Inauguration Weekend. The mood across the country is ebullient. We are all collectively thrilled at the prospect of the Obama presidency, but some of us are even more thrilled that George W. Bush is leaving.
No wonder my 20s sucked -- George W. Bush was president for nearly the entire time! This gives me hope for my 30s, even though I'm still not quite there yet. (Don't ask about the When Harry Met Sally moment during which I forgot I was turning 29 and not 30, then rounded all the way up to 40. And then panicked.) But what a kickoff, huh? Not exactly like the contentious inauguration of W., which was preceded by a Supreme Court battle that resulted in appointing a president, giving him a legal, not an electoral victory. To say nothing of a harshly divided country. And as a result, the country was in a bad mood. I don't have to describe the years that would follow, nor do I have to remind everyone how good it felt when the election was called for Obama in November. He will be going into office with the confidence of nearly 75% of the country.
My 20s were spent going in circles, throwing figurative spaghetti at the wall to see what would stick, and it all fell off. It felt like for every step I took forward, I would fall two steps behind.
But you know what? So what??
Maybe I won't achieve anything "before the age of 30." But why the hell should I have expected to peak by now? My great-grandmother lived to be 101 and to see her great-great-grandchildren. I think there's a chance that I've got some time here. (I also still get carded when I buy alcohol. So at least there's that too.) If I'm in the same place at 40, maybe then I'll start to freak out a bit more. And I'm sure the low-grade, sustained anxiety attack I've been having since I hit 27 will wax before it wanes. But right now there is so much for the country to look forward to, and this new mood will give all of us the hope we need. And the change.
And maybe I'll have completely convinced myself of all that stuff. In the meantime, I will be looking for an Inauguration Day party in NYC and keeping my options open. And hoping for more dreams about Owen Wilson.
Also: It's worth mentioning that it's not just my birthday today -- our next First Lady Michelle Obama turns 45 today!
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Forget Owen Wilson just find a sincere, honest guy who truly loves you.
Amen to everything you said...right down to Owen Wilson. I'm turning 27 soon, and I feel like I could have written this myself. It's nice to know there are other people feeling like this, too. I can feel a sea change, though.
The time will come soon enough when you think.
"That was it.? . . . and your past looks like a one second if even that blip.
Hey, Jamie.
I've been worrying about 'getting old' since my 25th birthday in *gasp* 2007. So you're not alone. My 27th is approaching *horrors* and I also wonder what exactly I can show for the last 10 years.
Joy-Mari
Dear Jamie, like you I woke up yesterday to a momentous realisation: that President Obama is the first American President younger than me. Funnily, this makes me feel a helluva lot more optimistic and glad that it is no longer left to people of my vintage; it truly feels like a changing of the guard. I wish you well in America.
Don't worry about a thing, darling. One day you'll look back and realize how "young" you were. And frankly, you won't remember much of what happened anyway. It'll be like that dream with Owen Wilson, and you'll wonder if it was all real.
Wow, and here I thought living in a Bush presidency for 15% of my life was bad! You poor girl, you've had him for almost 28% of your life!! You're very lucky to be so young at this time in our history. Happy Birthday!!
So Happy Birthday! And I hope you enjoy the Obama years.
There is no way you are the same as when you were 19. I mean, were you writing successful blogposts then? I think this is pretty successful.
when i was 32, bush's father was replaced by bill clinton. it did improve my entire outlook on life, after 12 long years of bush and reagan. it was a distinct pleasure to listen to him speak. for whatever other problems he had, i knew that he cared and understood the plight of ordinary people.
so here's hoping obama's two terms will enrich your 30s, my 50s and everyone else in the world.
Happy Birthday, Jamie! I too have something in common with one of the Obamas. Barack and I were born in the same hospital. But being older created a turning point in my life: he is the first president younger than me.
I do understand where your'e coming from about your success (or lack of it) and the president in office. In the eighties I came out of college and landed a great job and did well through the next 10 years. In late 94', I was laid off and suffered 3 or 4 bouts of unemployment mixed in with 3 or 4 lousy jobs until 2000. Since then things have been much better. I’m not going to blame Bill Clinton for my troubles, but when Gore asked the question during his 2000 run, "Are you better off now than 8 years ago"?, I had no problem answering an NO!!, and voted for Bush.
One of the few positive things you get with age is wisdom. I realize today that attitude plays a major part in one's health and success. The day after Clinton was elected, I stayed in bed all day from depression. Maybe that set the tone for me for the next 8 years. I voted for McCain but do have high hopes for Obama. If he does well the next 4 years, I'll be his biggest supporter and be appy to vote for him in 2012.
Have a great birthday!
Jamie, It does not matter what age a person was b/c for the last eight, long, horrific years, it su**ed for the lot of us. I would say "all", however, there are still the 46 % or 50 million Americans who voted for the Palin-McCain ticket. What were these people thinking? She would have ended up "President", which equaled, w. in a short skirt. In fact, I think w. was smarter than Sarah. Let's all hope, everyone, all ages, color, religions, party affiliation, that the next eight years will show progress. O. has his work cut out for him. Junior really outdid himself this time, destroying the entire world.
Jamie I'm 29 and I know exactly how you feel! We put all this pressure on ourselves, but I think we're doing just fine in the scheme of things even if we aren't rich and famous yet.
Isn't it strange the way 29 gets rounded up to 40 in our heads (I guess cause 10 years ago seemes like last week)? Well at least everyone else in our generation is getting older right with us, and we get to laugh at them about it all the way to old age.
(got chopped off, last sentence was supposed to end: "lives up to the hype.")
I actually have a theory for why the support for Obama has been so unwavering, even when he's done a couple of really boneheaded things. My theory is this: due to the fact that the "Millenials" turned out in such great numbers, we have a disproportionately large group of people who have *never really known any other President than Bush* -- who is pretty much agreed to be the worst President in modern US history (if not simply the worst President, ever).
The thing is, y'all are probably too young to remember the disappointments of Clinton -- how a popular young President -- a "rock star" -- so full of promise and promises, turned out to be mostly "business as usual" President. He presided over NAFTA, the DMCA, and so many other disappointments. I voted for him, and would again, but still -- his administration was far from perfect.
I guess if you've only ever known Bush 43 as President, it's unsurprising that Obama is treated almost as the Second Coming. Unsurprising -- but, to me, worrying.
I just hope y'all aren't too let down when he turns out to be only human, because human he is -- and that means he'll make mistakes, and piss people off. I hope that, like Clinton, we can look back on him -- Millenials and Gen X like me, and older folks -- and say he was a "net positive." I really hope that the first Democratic President of the Millenials generation lives
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