On Turning 40

An old friend asked me yesterday, "How does it feel to be turning 40?"

I was reminded of a book I read as a teenager, Tuesdays with Morrie, a memoir about a student who has a series of conversations with his former college professor, Morrie Schwartz.

Morrie is dying of ALS.

There's one scene that has always stayed with me. On one of the visits, the student asks Morrie about aging and whether he is jealous of the young.

To paraphrase, Morrie responds, "Most people spend most of their lives wishing they were a different age than they are. The young wish they were older. The old wish they were younger. And with all of this wishing, they miss out on being the age that they are right now - what's happening in this moment. I had my time to be in my thirties, and now is my time to be seventy-eight. You have to find what’s good and true and beautiful in your life as it is now."

I love this perspective.

I had my time to be in my teens, twenties, and thirties… and all the ups and downs that came with those years.  I did the best I could with what I had.  Every experience has contributed to exactly who I am right now.

The last decade has been one of the most surreal, ridiculous, incredible, trying, and magical decades of my life. As I look back, I am in awe of what an adventure it's been!

​Now, I welcome this new chapter with an open heart, deep gratitude, and a sense of wonder. I look forward with an enthusiastic curiosity about what the next year has in store — for me, my loved ones, and the new people who will come into my life.
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I can't wait to see what unfolds.