subject: Dangling Over the Precipice of 40 [print this page] Dangling Over the Precipice of 40 Dangling Over the Precipice of 40
Although I'm not quite sure how it happened, I turned 39 this year. This came as a huge shock as I remember my 20's so vividly- as if theywere yesterday. It seems to me that once you hit 20, the process ofageing accelerates exponentially until you've barely gotten used tothe decade you're currently in and no sooner-whoosh! - It disappears ina flash of lightening and you're propelled (or catapulted as it oftenfeels) into the next decade kicking and screaming all the way.
Even with all of the blessings that have come in my 30's (i.e., material comfort, wisdom, grounding, and a great marriage), I am completely bewildered at how Icould possibly be turning 40 on my next birthday and don't exactlyrelish the thought. Ideally, I'd love to be able to magically mix my20's looks with my 30's wisdom and stability and stay 30 forever, butas we all know, this is an impossibility (maybe not for long due tohow advanced science is these days...)
So I guess my only choice is to proverbially like it or lump it'...Ichoose liking it-okay, maybe I don't exactly LIKE it, but I amchoosing to feel positive, excited, and empowered about growing older.I guess it beats the alternative- being fearful, resentful, and livingin regret or staying stuck by denying the entire ageing processaltogether. I definitely don't want to become one of those women whodo anything and everything in her power to stay youthful looking aslong as is humanly possible. I definitely don't find that empowering.
The fact is, we are all going to get older (that's if we live longenough and are lucky enough), so we might as well have a positiveattitude about it. To end, I'll leave you with a list of some things Ihope to enjoy in my 40's- the next decade life will soon hand me:
Continuing the amazingly rewarding and successful career I have andtrying some new things like doing more video/television work, seeingmore and more clients via Skype and telephone, speaking at conferencesand doing more tours with my books.
Enjoying more of the good life with my darling hubby- taking funtrips, more dance lessons, more barbeques on our back deck, andenjoying our dear friends.
Richer and more satisfying friendships with other women- I havestarted to build these in my 30's and look forward to nurturing andenriching these amazing bonds with my peers.
More time with my family- travelling to exotic places together andenjoying family vacations/family time.
Letting go of painful things, which happened in my past in otherwords-more therapy!
Enjoying my hard-earned wisdom and passing it onto future generationsof girls and women.
Accepting my looks and body, as they are no matter what age I am.
Enjoying more hobbies I love but don't spend enough time doing likereading, knitting, mosaic-making, dancing, and doing hot yoga. Doing more writing and publishing.
