POPSUGAR writing Archives - So About What I Said

Remember my surprise 30th birthday party? I know…it seems like ages ago to me, too! Where does the time go? As a writer, I’ve found there’s really only one thing to do about it — write about it!

I’m excited to have “7 Ways I’m Happier In My 30s” up on POPSUGAR Love (you can read my first essay here), and the surprisingly refreshing thing I realized? I ABSOLUTELY love being in my 30s. Seriously, I highly recommend this decade! It’s like you’re at a point where you’re still young enough to have fun, but you’re old enough to no longer care what people think. It’s a great time to be alive, I tell you!

Anyway, here’s an excerpt of the essay, which includes the one phrase that I’ve ditched from my vocabulary…

I’d known what to expect from my fourth decade for, well, decades — at least in terms of what I’d seen portrayed on television. Remember that show Thirtysomething from the early ’90s? As a kid, I’d watch it with my mom and think, “OMG, what if I get that old?”
The characters were in a perpetual state of being stressed out, overworked, and overwhelmed. That, I reasoned, is what getting old must be like. That is what I had to look forward to.

Fast-forward to 2011 and I’m at my 30th birthday party. It’s a surprise party, and the irony of it all is not lost on me: Surprise! How had this day come already? It just seemed to sneak up on me. What happened?
BBB
I’d spent so much time mourning the loss of my 20s, as if I’d just reached some sort of finish line and my life was over, that I’d failed to see the promise of entering a new decade.

This year, I turn 35 — that odd age where you’re too old to still say you’re in your early 30s but still too young to elicit sympathy when you complain to someone about how old you feel.

But nonetheless, there’s no denying this decade has changed me already. In ways I expected and ways I’m still learning about every day. Here, seven surprising ways my happiness has soared so far.

You can read the full essay here and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to email me anytime at mellow1422@aol.com and let’s chat! And of course, feel free to share my essay on Facebook, Twitter or even your local refrigerator. If you share on Twitter, be sure to tag me @melissablake so we can connect! I can’t wait to hear from you! Love you all… xoxo

AHHH!! I’m so excited, friends! I’ve been wanting to make this announcement for weeks and now I finally can…

Guess what???

I’m now officially a contributor to POPSUGAR! I pitched them an essay idea last month and it went live yesterday on their — surprise, surprise! — Love vertical. I’ve been realizing lately how much I love writing about the intersection of love and disability, as well as where I fit in to all that. I know I’ve been writing about this topic for almost eight years here on the blog, but I feel like I’m taking it to the next level.

Here’s an excerpt of “4 Things I Want Men to Know About Women With Disabilities,” which has already been shared 26 times…

It used to be that society’s perception of the disability community skewed more toward the negative. People with disabilities were seen as weak and dependent, living out their days sitting in their wheelchairs with a blanket over their lap and not doing much of anything productive or worthwhile. Sadly, for some reason, that image has stuck around longer than it ever should have.

NEWS FLASH: These sorts of misconceptions are just that — misconceptions. They’re at once antiquated and damaging, not just to those with disabilities, but to society as a whole. They’re insulting in their sweeping generalization and chooses to focus on the disability at the expense of the person.

My Essay on POPSUGAR: “7 Ways I’m Happier in My 30s”

My Essay on POPSUGAR: “4 Things I Want Men to Know About Women With Disabilities”