Life at 40

Recently I celebrated my 40th birthday. I’m ancient to my children and just a babe to the back row pew packers at my church. My children can’t believe my elementary years were survivable without cable TV. But cable didn’t get to my street until I was in fifth grade. And I lived in town.

The senior adults from church scoff at my attempt to make myself seem old. They “one up” me big time when they start talking about life before interstates, jumping on trains to go to the city, going down to the spring to get wash water, and receiving fruit for Christmas. I can’t compete with that. I may be old but I was born in a hospital.

So “old” is relative. And whether you think I’m old or not, I have noticed a few things about life at the beginning of the fourth decade:

1. I would not go back for anything. Life on the verge of 20 had its advantages, but life pushing 40 is MUCH better.

2. You don’t know what you don’t know. IF anyone was trying to tell me, back in my twenties, the things I would need to know, I wasn’t wise enough to listen. I had more energy than the sun, a beautiful young wife, and the wonders of the world were mine for the taking. These days I know energy is not an unlimited resource, my wife is still beautiful, and I’ve pretty much given up on the wonders of the world. Most days I’d settle for wonder bread.

3. The days are getting shorter. Either that, or time is speeding up. I don’t even buy desk calendars anymore. I got to the point that when I did look at my calendar three months had passed, then I felt bad for being so sluggish. Sometimes it’s like I’ve slipped into a mini-coma, I wake up in the morning thinking about cutting the yard, then I realize the yard I had in mind was two houses and six years ago. It reminds me of the time my grandfather started talking about his friends, I thought they lived down the street, but grandma told me they’d been dead for years. I’m sure it’s a time warp thingy.

4. The world is getting smaller. When I was 21 all I wanted to do was take my wife by the hand and romp the world. Through the years I’ve been blessed to live in a few nice places and see a good portion of it. But I’m telling you the truth; today my world is not much bigger than the farm I live on. I’m laser focused on enjoying my wife, raising our children, and watching in wonder as our family develops. This is my world. Everything else is on the news.

5. I’m becoming agreeable. There’s just no need to fight some battles. The lines at Wal-mart are always going to be long and slow. Self-checkout is a satanic conspiracy that will eventually lead to us (customers) unloading the trucks on the back dock...and liking it. My doctors are looking younger and younger. I swear my attorney just graduated high school. I can’t figure out any of the new video games. Plus, my fingers don’t work that fast anymore, if they ever did at all. And how bout this, the other day I walked into a waiting room and a college age student got up and game me her chair. I could fight this stuff, but it’s just not worth it. Cool marches on. And I waved at it when it went by.