You know that slightly annoying phrase, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”? Yeah, I don’t care for it.

Today I’m 30 years old. And, for clarification, this is the FIRST DAY I’ve been 30 years old.

Yesterday I was 29 and in Athens with my loving wife. Watching UGA lose to Vandy (Ugh!) but enjoying the cool air, the fall colors on campus and the reminder that my younger self was maybe, just maybe, not that far behind me.

But the loss put some kind of melancholy – but not a malaise – in my mind.

In 1994, my Freshman year at Georgia, Homecoming fell on my 18th birthday. Vandy won that year as well, 43 – 30. The whole scene felt eerily similar, but somehow reassuring.

I know, I know. A loss shouldn’t make me feel good. The deja vu, however, was strong enough that I felt embraced by Athens, the University and life in general.

Jenn and I had some great beer (and a so-so meal) at Cooper Creek Brewing Company (nee Burntstone Brewery), walked campus and got ourselves milkshakes at The Grill.

I guess my point in relaying this shoddy story is that I’m OK with today being yesterday’s tomorrow. I’m OK with the way things are turning out, have turned out, will turn out.

I’m OK with 30.

I think the world is going to do what it always does, sometimes in regular, heartbreaking, cyclical ways and all I can do, should do, have the power to do is roll with it.