Quarterlife Diaries: ‘Eat, sleep, work, deadly hangovers from your 25th and the City than Sex and the City’

I am almost thirty. Yep, the big 3-0 has never been so close as it is now and even though I don't mind that at all, there are still a few things that occupy my mind at this stage of my life. You could call it a little quarterlife crisis. In Quarterlife Diaries, I will take you weekly through all the things I, as an almost 30-year-old, encounter. Mainly to vent my heart, but also to give a boost to everyone who is in the quarterlife boat with me. You are definitely not alone. This week: what would Carrie do?

I grew up with Sex and the City. For as long as I can remember, I have been amazed by Carrie's bottomless wardrobe, the towering stilettos that always seemed to defy the unforgiving streets of Manhattan, and the tumultuous lives of my four heroines. Seriously, I worshipped those women, and still do. I was sure my life would look just like that when I turned 30.

You can understand my enthusiasm when I found out years later that I had accidentally gathered a group of girlfriends around me that suspiciously resembled my favorite characters. For instance, friend E is the spitting image of Charlotte: she has her affairs in order, always looks impeccably groomed, bakes for the people she loves, and believes wholeheartedly in love. Friend C is Samantha through and through. With her blonde hair and a personality that even towers over the tallest man in the room, I can usually spot her from miles away. We can always count on her for the juiciest stories about her tumultuous love life that are then shouted just a bit too loudly across the restaurant. Friend K is just like Miranda: smart, quick-witted, and stable. No matter what happens, she will always save the situation with a witty, unintentionally funny remark that she delivers with a straight face and perfect timing.

I am Carrie, there is no doubt about it. I too have spent most of my adult life running around the city like a headless chicken in search of love, with a cocktail in one hand and my way-too-high stilettos in the other. A closet full of clothes and nothing to wear sounds more familiar to me than I want to admit and, not to forget: I started my writing career as a dating blogger. The only difference is that I have chosen my Aiden with full conviction and that I already kicked my Mr. Big out the door years ago (unpopular opinion: Carrie should have done that too).

Now that I am almost 30, I feel a bit taken in by the creators of my favorite show. New York is a dream that still needs to be fulfilled, I increasingly prefer my sneakers over my stilettos, and where are all those wildly attractive men, Cosmopolitans in abundance, seas of time for lunch dates with my girlfriends, and invitations to trendy parties? Right now, my life is really more: eat, sleep, work, deadly hangovers from your 25th and the City than Sex and the City.

Yes, the glamour is really a bit harder to find at this stage of my life than I had hoped. Yet, it is also a bit my own fault. I get so swept away by the speed of life that I sometimes forget to enjoy the fact that I am young and energetic and not so long ago scored my literal dream job. If that isn't worth a Cosmo or two...

Now, comparing myself to a fictional character like Carrie is of course completely unrealistic, but there is some truth in it. Because why don't we take our own story a bit more into our own hands by making a bit more time for our friendships, why don't we just buy those ridiculously impractical shoes (which we then curse because the streets of Amsterdam will always win against them), and for heaven's sake, let's make room for a bit more glamour in our lives as soon as possible.

Fortunately, Carrie had already passed 30 in the first season of Sex and the City, so I still have some time to shape those good intentions. Until then, I will of course also try to be a bit more content with my busy, glamourless life. But asking yourself every now and then: what would Carrie do? is not such a crazy idea after all.