It seems trivial, but I was dreading turning 40.
Yeah, I know age is just a number. But this one seemed like a mighty-big one.
I think it’s because I remember when my dad turned 40.
My mum threw him a surprise birthday party in the function room at our local pub and I was allowed to go for the first bit (I was only 7 - the same age that my eldest daughter is now).
After the initial surprise when my dad walked into the room and was greeted with cheers from friends he hadn’t seen for years, I tried to get his attention - probably to show him my pretty dress or tell him I’d been allowed to have a lemonade as a special treat. As I was tapping him on the arm to get his attention, he dropped his pint of beer all over his shoes and my white socks.
That’s my core memory from my dad turning 40. That and him flinging me around the dancefloor to ‘Give Me Hope, Joanna’ by Eddie Grant.
At 7 years old, 40 seemed really old. I expect my daughters feel the same now.
I don’t feel 40. I still feel like I’m in my thirties.
I loved my thirties. It’s when I feel I became a proper adult, and I achieved a lot.
✅ I got married
✅ I became a mum
✅ I bought my first house
✅ I set up my own business
All very grown-up things to do.
What is there left to do in my forties?
I’m not saying I’ve achieved everything I wanted to - far from it - but can my forties really live up to the significance of my thirties?
I don’t want to set myself a bunch of goals and stress out if I don’t achieve them all, but in the next decade I’d love to:
💭 Continue growing my own business
💭 Give my kids the best possible childhood
💭 Move into our forever home with an office
💭 Keep being active and stop myself from feeling (and looking) my actual age
One benefit of getting older is that I don’t care as much about what people think of me. I’ve already started saying what I think more, rather than keeping quiet in case of confrontation.
Anyone else?
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