Hello,So I'm 40. It literally just happened. I know, I'm ...
Hello,
So I'm 40. It literally just happened. I know, I'm as shocked as you. I've been on this planet for forty years, which if I live until the average age for men which is 76, I'm already over halfway through my life. It sounds pretty depressing when you say it like that. Although really, you can't count the first five years because you don't do anything. I mean my kids do - they've travelled across the world a few times, they eat sushi like it's perfectly normal, and they know how to use iPads, iPhone's, and the TV remote (which I wasn't even allowed to touch until I was about 10). The world was a different place in the late 70's. OK that sounds old. Late seventies. For example in the late seventies it was perfectly fine to go to the pub and leave your kids on the pavement outside - for a few hours - as long as they had a football (by a busy road). It was fine for kids to play at the park without their parents. You could smoke on buses, drive without seatbelts, and fast food was a Pot Noodle. Life was simpler and we were too. So really, according to my memory (which is obviously fading fast) I'm about 33. Let's go with 31 to be on the safe side.
Turning 30 was a doddle, it really was. People are always on about turning 30 like it's this huge moment, but honestly it felt like an extension of my twenties. Hello twenties, fancy building a small extension on the back? Yeah, nothing fancy, and we'll call it your thirties. You'll barely notice the difference. 40 though is completely different. 40 isn't a new extension, it's moving house. It's moving house to the proper grown up house where real grown up things happen. It's very different and suddenly, for the first time in my life, I'm looking down the barrel and thinking, I've reached the top, it's all downhill from here. And I don't mean that life is going downhill, as in it's going to be really shit because it isn't, but age wise, I've turned the corner. The keys are in the ignition, the cars in first gear, and we're rolling.
So what have I learnt in all these years? Probably less than I should have, but here goes:
I know that being happy is as simple as you make it. I know that women are right all the time and even if they aren't, it's not worth arguing about. I know that worrying over the small things never helps anyone and I know that a cup of tea can help ease any pain. I know that comedy is the answer for just about everything. I know that money and possessions don't and will never make anyone happy. I know that travel is the greatest thing we can ever do. I know we stop growing when we stop challenging ourselves and when we stop growing we buy more things to fill that void but it doesn't. So we should never stop challenging ourselves - it's usually cheaper and will make you happy. I know that the most important thing in the world is love. I know that being religious doesn't make you a good person and being an atheist doesn't make you a bad one. I know that spending time with your kids is a million times better than any present you'll ever buy them. I know that politics will never solve the worlds problems, but people can. I know that it doesn't matter where in the world you live, you don't really change. I know that being a parent is amazing and the love you feel for a child is greater than any other love you'll ever feel. I know that The Beatles will always be the greatest band of all time. I know that people will always argue and be different, but that's OK, and the worse kind of people are the ones who don't get that. I know it doesn't matter if you're straight, gay, bisexual, black, white, or anything else - we're all people and all have the same rights to happiness. I know that when you meet The One you just know. I know that relationships shouldn't be difficult and people who say they are it's because they're in the wrong relationship. I know that 40 is quite old, but that inside I'm still early thirties and I'm OK with that.
I'm sure I know a lot more than that, but I won't bore you with all my knowledge. Plus it's going to get into things like sandwich making and lessons in manscaping! So I'll end with one last one - I know that life is wonderful, and brilliant, and you always get out what you put you. So stop complaining, making excuses as to why your life isn't how you want, and make it happen. Being positive is the greatest single weapon all humans have.
Until next time.
Hugs,
Jon X
So I'm 40. It literally just happened. I know, I'm as shocked as you. I've been on this planet for forty years, which if I live until the average age for men which is 76, I'm already over halfway through my life. It sounds pretty depressing when you say it like that. Although really, you can't count the first five years because you don't do anything. I mean my kids do - they've travelled across the world a few times, they eat sushi like it's perfectly normal, and they know how to use iPads, iPhone's, and the TV remote (which I wasn't even allowed to touch until I was about 10). The world was a different place in the late 70's. OK that sounds old. Late seventies. For example in the late seventies it was perfectly fine to go to the pub and leave your kids on the pavement outside - for a few hours - as long as they had a football (by a busy road). It was fine for kids to play at the park without their parents. You could smoke on buses, drive without seatbelts, and fast food was a Pot Noodle. Life was simpler and we were too. So really, according to my memory (which is obviously fading fast) I'm about 33. Let's go with 31 to be on the safe side.
Turning 30 was a doddle, it really was. People are always on about turning 30 like it's this huge moment, but honestly it felt like an extension of my twenties. Hello twenties, fancy building a small extension on the back? Yeah, nothing fancy, and we'll call it your thirties. You'll barely notice the difference. 40 though is completely different. 40 isn't a new extension, it's moving house. It's moving house to the proper grown up house where real grown up things happen. It's very different and suddenly, for the first time in my life, I'm looking down the barrel and thinking, I've reached the top, it's all downhill from here. And I don't mean that life is going downhill, as in it's going to be really shit because it isn't, but age wise, I've turned the corner. The keys are in the ignition, the cars in first gear, and we're rolling.
So what have I learnt in all these years? Probably less than I should have, but here goes:
I know that being happy is as simple as you make it. I know that women are right all the time and even if they aren't, it's not worth arguing about. I know that worrying over the small things never helps anyone and I know that a cup of tea can help ease any pain. I know that comedy is the answer for just about everything. I know that money and possessions don't and will never make anyone happy. I know that travel is the greatest thing we can ever do. I know we stop growing when we stop challenging ourselves and when we stop growing we buy more things to fill that void but it doesn't. So we should never stop challenging ourselves - it's usually cheaper and will make you happy. I know that the most important thing in the world is love. I know that being religious doesn't make you a good person and being an atheist doesn't make you a bad one. I know that spending time with your kids is a million times better than any present you'll ever buy them. I know that politics will never solve the worlds problems, but people can. I know that it doesn't matter where in the world you live, you don't really change. I know that being a parent is amazing and the love you feel for a child is greater than any other love you'll ever feel. I know that The Beatles will always be the greatest band of all time. I know that people will always argue and be different, but that's OK, and the worse kind of people are the ones who don't get that. I know it doesn't matter if you're straight, gay, bisexual, black, white, or anything else - we're all people and all have the same rights to happiness. I know that when you meet The One you just know. I know that relationships shouldn't be difficult and people who say they are it's because they're in the wrong relationship. I know that 40 is quite old, but that inside I'm still early thirties and I'm OK with that.
I'm sure I know a lot more than that, but I won't bore you with all my knowledge. Plus it's going to get into things like sandwich making and lessons in manscaping! So I'll end with one last one - I know that life is wonderful, and brilliant, and you always get out what you put you. So stop complaining, making excuses as to why your life isn't how you want, and make it happen. Being positive is the greatest single weapon all humans have.
Until next time.
Hugs,
Jon X
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