13 Going on 30
The first time I watched this movie, my age was closer to number 13, but now my current age is closer to number 30. It is one of my favorite movies, definitely recommended for rom-com movie enthusiasts. I used to relate with the main character, Jenna as I was closer to her age when I first watched this movie. All I want is to grow up, become an adult, skip school and hope by the age of 30 I have already become successful. At the time, I believed that I was going to be successful for sure by the age of 30. But what happens in movies is only going to happen in movies only. For context, no, I’m not even half or quarter as successful as 30-year-old Jenna Rink and I only have a few years left until that number. But I was able to relate to how 30-year-old Jenna Rink felt at my current age. You see as I approaching 30, not only have I got more wrinkles, more bad habits, more bad decisions, but also fewer friends, less sleep, fewer happy endings.
13, probably the biggest concern for me at that time was the never-ending homework, my barely passed exam score, my friendship, and my real-but-he-doesn’t-even-know-I-exist crush, you know the usual teen stuff. Simple life, simple-minded girl. Now, I am worried a lot about my future, but in different ways. I used to expect it a lot and feel excited. But now I’m not exactly fond of thinking about the future. My problem has become more complex and a lot of little things that I used to not care about became my biggest worries.
I became conscious of my age. I know I’m still young for people older than me now, but I feel old. I remember I used to feel reluctant when turning 20 because I’m officially not a teen anymore. At the same time, I still feel more excited about trying things I can do now that I’m in my twenties. Here’s a fact, things about early twenties is that I’m still in my early twenties. I still feel young-ish. I spend my early twenties mainly focusing on the present. After finishing my undergraduate degree, I focused on getting a job. Now that I’m about to enter my late twenties, I feel old. I don’t feel that excitement anymore, more like anxious because soon I’m entering my 30s.
I worried about money, like how I’m supposed to enjoy my life, but everything that involved enjoyment also involved spending a lot of money. I worry about my parents a lot these days. I used to not worried, like I knew they’re going to always be by my side. But as I got older, I realized having happily married parents and healthy at my age now is rare. I worried a lot about my siblings, like I still somehow see them as these little kids and I know they’re not anymore, but I still feel responsible for them.
Until recently, I used to worry a lot about my love life, like am I going to be single forever? But now that idea doesn’t seem that bad. I would rather live alone but be able to take care of myself rather than be with someone, but still feel like I’m alone. The problem is, let’s say I’m going to be married eventually, but at the age of 40, having kids around 42. That means by the time I’m 50, my kids are still in elementary school. By the time they finish high school, I’m in my 60s. Am I still going to live at 60? Lol, I’m even overthinking about my nonexistent kids.
Mostly, I realized adult friendship is a lot more complex than teenage friendship. As we get older, it is harder to keep in touch with old friends as they’re not a part of our daily life anymore. Like when you move to a different school, it’s going to be harder to keep in touch with your old school friend. Then you move to university, another different set of friends. Next is work, then your friends get married, but you’re still single, or your friends are having a baby, so it’s harder for them to spend time with friends, or they have just moved to totally different cities and countries.
Looking back, it’s funny because my friends and I used to text and call at night even after we met all day at school or college. I don’t even remember the context of the conversation, mostly just gossiping about this guy, that guy, or how you were mad at your other friend but instantly forgot about the reason the next day. Just basically daily stuff, but now it’s hard for me to just reach out for no reason because everybody is busy and has their own life, so I don’t want to bother.
My parents used to have this couple of old friends that used to travel with us every holiday. But after a time, they never travel together again and just keep in touch a few times a year. I still don’t know the exact reason, but I kind of get it. As we get older, things change. My parents met their old friends at university and are still friends until a certain point in their lives. But they changed, their friends changed, maybe some little misunderstandings get in the way, and you grow apart, or maybe differences in opinion regarding some stuff.
Nowadays, my friends and I still keep in touch, not every day, but we try. I guess that’s the most crucial thing about friendship, how far you are willing to try to keep the friendship. I’m not that worried though, because sometimes, after 30s or something, I might find new friends just like my mom does now. She finds friends at the most random turn of events sometimes.
At the end of the movie, the 13 y.o-but-stuck-in-30 y.o-body Jenna realizes only after it’s too late. Her soul mate and true friend Matt married someone else, and she ends up missing a lot of time with her parents. Even if she patches things up, she still misses out a lot of chapters in her life. She realizes the value of each chapter in her life after she loses it. But lucky for Jenna, her life is a movie. She accidently wishes upon the magic dust to go back to be her 13 y.o self.
Just like Jenna, sometimes I realize the value of each of my life chapters after it is too late. But my life is not a movie. There’s no magic dust or bippity boppity boo spell for me. So I guess, at the end, I need to remind myself over and over again to just live and savor every single moment in my life, even the weird, the awkward, the sad, the depressing, the shameful part of it. After all,
“Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long shot.”
so live in the moment.
