The Big Three-Whoa!
Age is just a number, more specifically, a state of mind. My state of mind is around 24 years old, but there’s something about starting a new decade that has me wanting to stop and ask myself a few questions. The first question is, “What can take from my 20’s to make my 30’s spectacular?” I’m more than happy to kiss my 20’s good-bye and to never look back, but I want to remind myself that the 20’s brought me to this moment, a new starting point.
I decided to make a list I call, 30 Joys in my 30’s. I won’t elaborate what is on the list, because it’s only for my personal gain, but I intentionally gave myself no limits to what I want to do with my life. Some goals feel unrealistic and others are so simple I wondered why I didn’t accomplish them years earlier.
Many people have told me there is a shift starting at thirty. Most women say they notice a biological clock with a warning alarm gnawing at them to settle and have a family. Others say there is a sudden desire to change careers or focus on a new passion. It’s obviously too soon for me to know what internal changes will evolve, but I’ve never had a desire for family or children and I’ve never been able to comfortably stay at a workplace long enough for a career to develop. Saying this, I am curious to see which life path I will pursue, considering I have no strong pull in any specific direction.
Strangely though, this birthday did feel unique. It wasn’t an all night party or a crazy night of drinking. In fact, all I wanted for my birthday was a day of simple relaxation. So, I decided on a day at the Ooedo Hot Springs in Odaiba. Odaiba is a futuristic artificial island clustered with replicas of landmarks from other cities, such as the Rainbow Bridge, that looks a lot like the Golden Gate Bridge, a mini statue of Liberty and a man made beach.
The spa was a traditional Japanese spa where one dresses in a Yukata, and walks around a small resort that looks like Edo period Japan from a movie set. There you can enjoy sushi, shaved ice and a variety of Japanese treats in between scheduled massages, facials and dips in the springs. People of all ages wandered around, enjoying their favorite foods. There was even a game room for children. But, this place felt built specifically as a romantic getaway for couples. However, I was content enjoying time with my girlfriends.
I treated myself to a facial and many hours lounging in the variety of hot springs. There was the molten gold hot spring, which was high in minerals to help ‘enhance beauty.’ There was the bubbly calcium pool to ‘massage the joints.’ But my favorite experience of all time was the foot bath where you sit in a small room and dip your feet into a pool of Garra Rufa and Cyprinion Macrostomus, AKA, ‘Doctor Fish.’ These tiny fish nibble away your dead skin. If you close your eyes, it feels like tiny bubbles exploding on your skin but, if you look at the fish, it’s hard not think it looks like the fish are making out with your feet. The tickle sensation is hard to digest at first, but then you get used to it. Part of the experience in doing this is laughing so hard it’s impossible not to enjoy having doctor fish clean your toes. All that was missing was the perfect high school make out mix tape, for the fish, of course.
After about 4 hours of pampering, the girls and I set out to relax even longer with friends over Nabe. This is becoming my favorite dish in Japan, specifically because it’s easy to make and one pot feeds 3-4 people. Our friends brought a variety of vegetables and meats. We had so much produce we made 4 large pots of Nabe and still had enough leftover to make another 2-3 large pots. I played my Putumayo World Music discs to celebrate the fact our group represented five countries. We ate and drank till our hearts content and I felt happy and loved.
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