On my Dad’s 40th birthday, my Mom took out an ad in the newspaper poking fun at him. I got a laugh out of it – as did the rest of my family – but the whole notion of turning 40 seemed absurd to me. 40 was just a giant number I’d presumably never reach.
Hey, I was 14. 40 was old. Now I’m turning 40 myself.
Let’s talk about that.
Turning 40
About a month before turning 40, I started researching it. Research!
What’s it like to turn 40? Will I feel old? Should I start thinking of myself as old? What changes in my life will I start to see?
I checked out a few books from the library, started reading, and started thinking about what I read. And then I found even more articles. About every conceivable topic related to turning 40. I read about things to start doing and stop doing. I read about new hobbies I should cultivate. From there, I looked at all the health issues, all the ways people reflected on their life during its middle stages, and all the things I should start (or stop) appreciating.
I’m also writing this post of course, and I’ll probably write a few more posts and articles.
How do I feel about all of it? It’s hard to say. maybe I’m in a less jolly mood than when life insurance companies sent me ads on my 35th birthday. But my spirits remain high enough.
It helps that I feel great. Both physically and mentally. I feel better than I remember feeling at any point during my adult life. During the pandemic, I made lots of adjustments to my personal life – everything from schedule to diet to lifestyle. Andrea and I joined a CSA program for summer vegetables. I started getting far more exercise. And I cut down on my way too busy schedule.
In short, things are going really well. I’m happy and looking forward to my 40s.
