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The 30s is a difficult decade for men and women. The 20s are fun and exciting and the 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond are for coming into our own.
This may sound hokey, but most people don't really know who they are in their 30s in the U.S. So many people do what they "should" do. This includes getting married, having kids, buying an SUV that you really never wanted or moving to some dead suburb. If you're single, you're 'dating' like mad - either online or out 'partying' like your friend - because you're trying to meet "the one."
The 30s are the best decade for moving ahead in your career and the absolute worst on a personal level. Of course this is just my opinion - but they're letting me write in this box....
You are losing your friendship, but not the friend, as one reader pointed out. You will know her on a superficial level. It is a terrible loss, but it is as normal as the leaves changing in fall (if you live on the East or in the midwest).
Both of you will grow and change over the next several years. Maybe she'll get tired of her lifestyle and change again in her 40s. You too will change.
It's bittersweet to say goodbye, but life is all about change. Nothing stays the same. Look at the watch on your wrist for 60 seconds. The hand will move. It's all in flux. What you are experiencing is just part of the deal. These losses will happen again, but you will grow for having experienced them. And you will like who you become.
