• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • New Magazine!
  • Bread
  • Cookies
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans

These Things I’ve Learned in Thirty Years

May 25, 2012 by Joy the Baker 640 Comments

31

I have lived a full thirty years.  Thirty years full of fumbles and mistakes.  Thirty years of accidents and apologies.  Thirty years of learning.

These are the trivial bits of thirty years of learning.  Some of these lessons it took me three minutes to learn, others… about 29 years and 347 days.

If the word ‘you’ ever appears in this list of learning, please rest assured that I am referring to myself.  I’m still learning… you, surely, are good as gold.

These Thirty-ish Things:

Go to college.  Just go.  It’s where you’ll learn how to be, how not to be, and how to set booby traps in the shower so your roommate stops using your expensive shampoo.

Learn how to apologize sincerely.

Eye contact is major.  Get into it.

Talking crap about people sometimes feels good (just admit it), but tastes bad.  It’s the opposite of eating McDonald’s.

If it hurts, don’t wear it.  At some point the pain will show.

Learn how to wear lipstick and werk.

The day you look dumb in the grocery store at 7:19 in the morning is also the day you run into that duuude you don’t want to run into, and his stupid-hot-at-7:19-in-the-morning girlfriend.  Don’t worry.  You’re buying kale and olive oil.  At least you can cook.

Overdress, always.  Unless it’s heels in a park… that doesn’t work.

(thank you for the picture above, michael.)

31

In every situation, consider the likelihood of skinny-dipping.  Act accordingly.

Check out your hair from behind… yea… you’ve got a whole situation going on back there.

Exfoliate:  your kitchen, your shower, your carpets, and your body.

Find out what color  dress/shirt/lipstick makes your eyes pop.  Buy a lot of it.

31

Never ever ever ever EVER ever ever take your shoes off in the club.

If you feel a deep need to take your shoes off in the club, walk your butt outside, get in a cab, and go home.  Game over.

No one keeps secrets.  Remember this when you’re telling people all your business.

Life is not fair.  That fact is profoundly frustrating.  My Mom taught me this… dang was she right.

Don’t wait for some dumb boy to give you closure.  You give yourself closure.  That’s real.  Tie that mess right on up.  Buy ice cream if necessary.

31

Sometimes it’s not fate, or a sign… but just a coincidence.

You are not inherently patient.  It’s an exercise.

Learn how to do something exceptionally well.  Never apologize for that.  Step up.

Watch Inception as many times times as you need to.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt floats and Juno flips walls… It’s just a whole thing.

31

Learn how to make cookies.

Frozen peas, unfrozen, can be a meal.

Kittens grow up to be cats.  That’s when things get a little scary.

Don’t be that girl, in any and all situations.  Unless that girl is the awesome girl passing the boards… then you should totally be that girl.  I’m talking to you Andrea.

If a girls says she “just doesn’t really get along with other girls” that means that she’s probably not that nice to other girls… I’m just sayin’.

Ladies should be kinder to one another.  Teamwork, ladies!

31

Never be early for a party… unless you plan on helping.  By helping I mean, pouring tequila shots.

Being fourteen sucks and there’s absolutely no way around it.

Being thirty one does not suck unless you think it sucks for some reason.

Sometimes you go to restaurants and you just don’t get what you want.  It’s cool, just get ice cream on the way home.

Over-tip.

Just admit that you’re watching My Big American Gypsy Wedding because you’re completely obsessed and you really need to talk about it with someone.

God is good even when you doubt that God is good.

Happy Birthday to me.  Happy Living to you.  I love you dearly, I really do.

Previous PostNext Post

Filed Under: Beyond the Kitchen

Previous Post: « Homemade Ranch Dressing
Next Post: Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Cake »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathryn Mader

    May 1, 2017 at 3:00 am

    I’m so glad you posted your birthday articles. They are all super! You are one-of-a-kind, in the BEST way!

    Reply
  2. Natalie

    June 8, 2016 at 9:55 am

    I love this post! I’m turning 30 soon and these are great! Love you sense of humor and wit ;)

    Reply
« Older Comments
Comments Page 42 of 42
« Previous 1 … 40 41 42

Trackbacks

  1. 28 Thoughts on Gratitude » F Stop Minor Photography says:
    September 24, 2014 at 4:35 pm

    […] bloggers, I have decided to make a list. (In case you are wondering, my inspiration comes from here and here.) This is not just any list. This is a gratitude list. I believe that positivity manifests […]

    Reply
  2. 30 things I’ve learned in 30 years says:
    January 27, 2014 at 10:05 pm

    […] are a few more lists of life lessons from Leo Babauta, Joy the Baker, Sheryl Kraft, Susannah Conway, Ryan Nicodemus, Marc […]

    Reply
  3. Page Twenty Three: Thirty | XOXO, Lib. says:
    October 29, 2013 at 3:20 pm

    […] going to take a cue from my internet crush, Joy The Baker, and make a list of things that I have learned in my thirty years on this planet. I mean, what is […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Beyond the Kitchen

stack of beach reads 2022
The Best Books for Summer 2022

Summer books are meant to be defiled. Pages should be smeared with suntan lotion and potato chip grease; covers should be sun faded and waterlogged, used as coasters for your margaritas, a landing pad for unwieldy ice cream cones. (Unless, of course, you’re checking your summer book out from the library. In which case, you…

Read More

Summer Bucket List, 2022!

BUCKET LIST buck•et list (noun): a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have accomplished during their lifetime.  Also, a 2007 comedic film featuring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. SUMMER BUCKET LIST sum•mer buck•et list (noun):  a list of things that a person would like to accomplish and experience during the summer months.  If done correctly,…

Read More

A Peek Behind the Scenes of the new Joy the Baker Magazine

A few years ago when I embarked on the (incredibly exciting) journey of magazine making, I had no idea just how much it would flip my seasons and try to scramble my festive circadian rhythm.  Last summer, I had a Christmas tree up in the living room for most of July and August. Yes, fully…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

Joy the baker with dyed bandana around neck

HOW TO MAKE DYED BANDANAS

as seen in JtB Magazine!

joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

JOY @ WILLIAMS SONOMA

SHOP THE CAKE LINE OF CAKE MIXES!

DRAKE ON CAKE

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

Check it out on Instagram

Drake on cake instagram.

 

FAVORITE FRUIT RECIPES

Baked peach scones stacked with butter.

Easy Peaches and Cream Scones

Gluten-Free Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

strawberry sheet cake on a plate with strawberries on top.

My Favorite Super Easy Strawberry Sheet Cake

POPULAR CAKES

strawberry sheet cake on a plate with strawberries on top.

My Favorite Super Easy Strawberry Sheet Cake

Slice of coconut cake on small white plate with coffee.

My favorite Coconut Cake is actually made with cake mix

A slice of lemon blueberry gooey butter cake held on a cake slicer.

Lemon Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

📚Baker and author of books and magazines
🎂Creator @drakeoncake
💁🏻‍♀️Classes with me @thebakehousenola
🍰 Products with @williamssonoma

joythebaker
If the question is, what am I baking this weekend? If the question is, what am I baking this weekend? The answer is: 🍋🫐 Gooey Butter Cake.
He has no idea how swoony I get when he saves me a He has no idea how swoony I get when he saves me a seat at breakfast or moves me to the inside of the sidewalk for safety. What a thrill to have absolutely no chill whatsoever. Happy August, friends. I hope you’re hydrated and in stupid love.
Your weekend baking sorted! 🫠 Just add peanut b Your weekend baking sorted! 🫠 Just add peanut butter and marshmallows to the grocery list. ⁣
⁣
Also, if you snuck some 🍫🍫 in with the marshmallow you’d have a lil peanut butter cookie s’more and no one would be mad. ⁣
⁣
Recipe linked in the profile! xo.
Our no-bake, 🍒🍋 dreams come true thanks to @ Our no-bake, 🍒🍋 dreams come true thanks to @theboywhobakes! ⁣
⁣
This perfect summer recipe is linked in the profile! xo
🤝🫠💓🍅 to July 2022. 🤝🫠💓🍅 to July 2022.
Just when you thought Peanut Butter Cookies couldn Just when you thought Peanut Butter Cookies couldn’t get any better - add a marshmallow, 🫠. Recipe inspired by @thecozyplum and linked in the profile! xo
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up