Today... Is my birthday. My 40th birthday. The big 4-0. How am I supposed to feel about this? Am I officially launched into "real" adulthood? Am I now supposed to "knuckle down" and get serious? Should I feel older?
To be honest, I have felt deeply ensconced in adulthood since my early teens, maybe even before, I've been knuckling down for years and I feel YOUNGER than I did at 20! To me, turning 40 seems more like an opportunity than the start of a down hill slide. I feel better, stronger, healthier and more fulfilled now than at any other time in my life. Rather than sensing new limitations, I see a vast horizon of filled adventures. Why is this? Is there some kind of magic in turning 40? Perhaps! Experience and wisdom are starting to take hold. I can look back on both success and failures and see them for what they really were. I've experienced great happiness and deep sadness, and I've come through both. I've found that I can keep a balance in my life (not that I always do), finding joy in the small things and putting the "big" things into perspective. I know now what's really important to me and, happily, those people and things require no money and no gargantuan effort. I've discovered what I love to do and I'm trying to make it my life's work and, I think I even found the perfect haircut. If it's contentment I'm seeking, for the most part, I'm there.
While there are lots and lots of things I am looking forward to in life, there are some things that I've finally been able to let go of. First, I'm not going to be the president and that's OK. Secondly, I am not going to lose 50 pounds. That's OK, too. And, finally, it's unlikely that I'll be the youngest anything in history. Whew. The pressure is OFF!
So, here's to 40... The new 30?
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