It seems like tomorrow will be the same as today, and the day after that, too. Time seems like an enemy you can defeat by putting off the important things.

And then 30 comes.

And that's when I realized something very important—putting off the future isn't a right everyone has. It's the privilege of youth. And I think I wasted that privilege. 😔

I won't pretend it doesn't hurt to talk about it. I regret—I sincerely regret—that I didn't start a family sooner. When I was younger, when I had more time for mistakes, for experiences, for growing... Everything used to seem simpler, more natural. And then there was that extra time that I wasted so carelessly.

Now I look at my friends who started families at 23-25, and I understand them completely differently. They weren't rushed or naive—they simply knew (or intuitively sensed?) something important about time. That it's finite. That it's not a game where you can endlessly postpone your move.

At 30, each year begins to feel different. It's no longer an abstract "later," but a very concrete "now." And when you start wanting a family, children, stability—you realize that the calendar is no longer on your side. It's... a strange feeling. Both sad and a little scary. 💔

But you know what I've noticed? There's also something good in this pain. I don't procrastinate anymore. I see life more clearly, I appreciate it more. And I understand that even if I didn't start a family when I was young, that's not the end of the story. It's just a different twist.

I'm starting to search—not abstractly, but concretely. I'm looking for the person with whom I want to build something real. And maybe my "later" now is what I need.

Maybe you'll understand what I mean? Have you ever felt like you missed the boat? How did you deal with it?

Because I want to believe that. I really do.

Ekaterina