32

A friend of mine is turning 32 today. That resonates with me.

I look back at me at 32, and see that age, that specific age, as a start of a wonderful life. 

Some people reach adulthood at different ages. Some are adults when they've barely left high school. They are responsible, capable of making decisions for themselves, focused on a career path, and have goals set for themselves.

Some people reach adulthood late in life, perhaps even so deep into their lives as their 60's or 70's. Maybe they've lived a "set" life, where other people's expectations and desires have driven them. They may have been married, but not necessarily to the one they loved. They reach retirement, and either live they way they've always wanted to live, or they've charted new territory. Either way, there could be pain involved, especially if they choose to end their marriage or move elsewhere to start a new life, leaving their "old" life behind. 

But as this friend of mine observes his 32nd birthday, I think back to when I was 32. It was, for me, a significant age.

At 32 I began to sing in a professional-level choir. I was, by no means, a "professional" singer, and I would never consider myself to be one. But I auditioned for this choir and was accepted, which started several years of singing in professional level choirs. It also opened up my ear for other choral and orchestral works that I had previously been unaware of. More importantly, I felt I was good at it, and that feeling of value - that feeling that I was doing something I was good at - helped me grow.

During the fall of my 32nd year my late dad and I took one of our last big fall photography trips, going up the coast of California to the Oregon border, then across the Trinity Alps country to Shasta, then over to the lower Cascades, visiting Lassen National Park. We crossed over to the eastern Sierra (an area which I love so much) and took highway 395 all the way down. It was a long and wonderful trip. We discovered so many new places, and did so much good photography. But it was THIS trip where I realized that I was good at photography - that I  had a gift in creating images. That, just like my singing, gave me confidence. 

I felt, now, that I had reached adulthood. And as the subsequent years went on, I continued to grow as a photographer and musician, I had a few girlfriends, one of whom became my ex-wife. I grew as a person. I grew as an adult.

32. What a marvelous age to be. And I'm glad that, even though I feel I reached adulthood at 32 years old, now, at 61 years old, I realize that I am still growing. And that aspect of adulthood is exciting!