I spent my 20s proudly supporting my partner's business. Now that I'm in my 30s, I'm realizing what I gave up.

I love my partner, but I'm grieving some of the milestones we've had to put off. Rachel LaBella I've always loved and supported my partner's dream of owning a restaurant . However, we've dealt with financial insecurity at times and put off milestones like buying a home. Now that we're in our 30s, we're having conversations about what his business means for our future. In my 20s, I fell in love with my partner's ambition. His dream was to own a restaurant, and I admired his willingness to reject a traditional 9-to-5 to build something of his own. He entered the industry as a teenager, worked his way up to general manager at a local restaurant by his mid-20s, and eventually became a partner there. By 30, he had achieved the dream he'd spent years pursuing: becoming the restaurant's sole owner.