I was sitting in my car today, eating lunch, soaking up the fantastic sunshine and weather, enjoying my lunch hour (or what was left of it), and pondering life. I know -- big surprise there.
I have 2.5 years (roughly) to go until I turn 40. For the most part, it doesn't bother me nearly as much as it might have once upon a time. I'm actually kind of looking forward to 40. Turning 20 was disastrous -- I cried the entire month of October (my birth month), and the only thing I can figure is that 20 is such a nowhere age. You're not a teen, you're not quite legal, it's just ... there. Turning 25 wasn't so bad. I had a great job, good friends, etc. Things were far from perfect, but not horrid either. Life was humming along somewhat normally.
Turning 30 was a little different. 28 was a lousy year for me all the way around, and at 29 I was fighting my way back. I dreaded my 30th birthday on some level -- you know, you're supposed to have all your crap together by the time you're 30 and be a respectable adult. What I wanted at that age was a do-over. Luckily, I had a few friends in their 40s who told me not to sweat the small stuff -- that their 30s had been completely fantastic, far better than their 20s had ever been! Turns out, they were right.
35 was a turning point -- I don't know what it was, but it was like the light switch came on, the cosmic tumblers all clicked into place, and voila! some of that wisdom finally came forth. It was about realizing something I'd read and known but hadn't yet fully germinated in me -- that if I didn't like my life, I could change it. I was the only one who could. And there were a few things that I could no longer like or tolerate, and I was no longer going to be a spectator in my own life. The Serenity Prayer became reality -- what I couldn't change, I would accept; what I could change, I would do; and learning the difference would be vital.
So with all that framework behind me and surrounding me, 40's looking nice. Very nice! I know it's not going to be all sunshine and roses, because life just isn't. But things can only get better!
1 comment:
I might be a bit prejudiced (ref: several comments I've made on my skewing older in many of my tastes, habits, etc.) .... but 40 isn't as scary as it sounds. "Over the Hill"? Nonsense! You're just beginning the climb.
The view from here isn't half bad. :-)
-TG
PS: word verification: tkgjfo Maybe something about taking JIF peanut butter off the grocery shelf due to it being contaminated, like Peter Pan.
I'll withhold speculation about the last two letters, as this is (presumably) a family blog.
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