Despite all of my best efforts, tomorrow I will be checking off another decade of life on the planet. And, as a result of my heightened awareness of the day, every book or magazine I pick up seems to have some article or another on what being 40 is all about.
One of the more amusing ones to me was the 'Happiness Across the Life Cycle: Exploring Age-Specific Preferences' by The European Centre, which reported that life satisfaction progresses along a U-shaped curve, bottoming out at....(drumroll).........40-49! Luckily, the author also states that marriage plays a big role in life satisfaction, and I am very happily married, so I have that going for me.
Another completely unrelated 'Big four-oh' reference is buried somewhere deep in my shelves of books on Julius Caesar in my library. There is an apocryphal story about Caesar celebrating his fortieth birthday and being downhearted in comparing himself at 40 to Alexander the Great and everything that Alexander had accomplished by his early-thirties. Now, Caesar had already been a Praetor by 35 (so, presumably, he'd throw off some appropriate bon mot like 'de minimis non curat praetor'), and was crowned Imperator shortly after his 40th birthday, so he couldn't have been all that downhearted.
So, like Caesar, I'll endeavor to make life after 40 is just as eventful as the first 40 years were. As the author Walter Pitkin wrote in the 1930s...."Life Begins at Forty".
Happy Birthday Christian, wishing you the best! With your attitude, your 40's should be even better than the decades preceding!
Posted by: Randy Sisk | July 02, 2008 at 07:57 AM
Wow - great attitude. A little ballzee comparing yourself to a Caesar but, you did make it to 40 so you can be upitty! I am sorry I will miss the celebration. Feel the hug and love from here.
Peace my friend, my bestest friend!
Ant-Knee
Posted by: Ant-KNee | July 02, 2008 at 10:03 AM
40? Really? I would have put you at a youthful 34. Seriously, congrats.
40 is a big deal, kind of like when your car hits 100K miles.
Perhaps you can come up with a Pitkin-esque quote for the next generation. Something like, "You're only as old as your avatar looks."
Just sayin'...
Posted by: Aaron Uhrmacher | July 02, 2008 at 12:46 PM
Whoa, I'm just a few days older... Turned 40 on the 26th of June. There you go, mate. See you at vConference.
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Posted by: MaldonadoMARIAN33 | October 18, 2010 at 08:46 AM