12. Help, I'm so far behind in life!

I’m not going to disclose my age.

Well, not yet, I do in like 6 lines time, but to kick things off this week:

I’m not married.

I don’t have kids.

I don’t own a house.

I don’t even have a driving license.

And, with a fair wind, I can just about change a lightbulb.

I’ve recently turned 31.

Society's verdict? You big bloody failure!

OK, maybe a slight over-exaggeration, but there's certainly a lot of the above that many of our common cultural narratives would suggest that I, and people in a similar kind of boat (hey there!), should have probably done, or at least be doing, by now.

Now, I appreciate that to anyone older than 31, this might sound ridiculous. However, psychologically and societally (pretty sure that’s not a word, but you know what I mean), approaching, and hitting, le grand 3-0 is quite a big thing.

Basically, by then, we’re (supposedly) supposed to have our shit together. Or at least know where our shit is going.

And naturally, when we don't, it can be a little demoralising. Especially when everyone else on our social media feeds seem to be smashing this whole being an adult thing.

From the tone of this post so far, you can probably tell what sort of direction we're heading in... though before we jump to a "fuck these societal pressures!!!" type conclusion, it's worth saying that I don't actually think they're always neccessarily a bad thing. Having some degree of time related pressure can give us a kick up the arse to get things done, which can be on some use. The new bulbs in my living room ceiling are a testament to that.

However, quite often, as opposed to providing a healthy sense of urgency, this societal pressure can instead be the catalyst for thoughts like “I need to find my calling and meet my soulmate within the next 37 minutes or I’m going to die a miserable, lonely death!”.

And we could probably do without thoughts like that.

So, in a bid to try and up that 37 minutes (to 40 at least), let's say hello to the following lot:

• Meet Sharon Sites Adams. She became the first woman to sail solo across the Pacific Ocean. She did so aged 39.

• When Picasso completed his masterpiece “Guernica”, he was 55.

• And do you know how old J.R.R. Tolkien was when the first volume of The Lord of the Rings was published? That's right, 62.

• In 2003, Ed Whitlock ran a marathon in 2 hours 59 minutes and 10 seconds. That’s bloody decent pace... especially considering he was 70 years old.

• Next up, Michelangelo. When he created the architectural plans for the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, he was 88.

• And of course, the late and great Sir Captain Tom Moore. I love this man. His unbelievable efforts over lockdown, and raising around £40million for NHS charities was incredibly heart-warming, and generally amazing to watch. All at the age of 100.

Captain Tom, and these wider stories, serve to remind us that despite living in a society that can often feel like we're all in some sort of manic race, we do still have a bit of time.

Of course, I'm a bloke, so appreciate that I don't really have the biological time pressure of having kids. However, that (admittedly, rather large) point aside, if we haven’t bought a property, started our own business, met the love of our life, or won a Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences quite yet, then all's not lost.

Having said all this, I should probably get round to doing my theory at some point...