Down at the bottom of this blog is a gadget I installed that is a countdown timer. I put it there so it would count down to my 42nd birthday this summer. Every time I log out of my blog it resets back to zero. The timer pisses me off. I reset it 3 or 4 times a day. Then I got to thinking that maybe I shouldn't really be counting down to my birthday. Maybe I'm just putting too much importance on the numbers.
Now, I realize that this blog is called "I'm 40--what now?" But in this case I'm referring to a state of mind. Or possibly a phase of life. The actual number doesn't even really matter. I suppose a 50-year-old person could reach the point of a mid-life reexamination and skip the 40 thing all together. Maybe a forward thinking 30 could join the party. And we can all join together in figuring out how to solve all the problems of the world.
Age is an attitude. I have met 30 year old's who are older than my father was at 86. I've met octogenarians with more pep and spirit than many people in their 50's. I, for one, am not going to hunker down into my daily routine and wait to get old while spending all of my days fearful of change and scared to take risks.
My blog countdown timer reminded me that I may need a new way to measure the passage of my life. I think I'll add a change-o-meter, or a growth-o-meter. These things mean more to me now than the number after my name that shows how many years I've been on Earth. That number doesn't convey that I still feel like I'm 16 inside, or that I have been through some amazing experiences. It doesn't explain that I have been through some of the worst things a human can experience and lived through it and gained strength.
I think I will compare myself to myself and measure it that way. At the moment, I'm enjoying what I see.
Don't think this means I'm not going to party on my birthday!! A girl has to dance sometimes.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Birthday
Posted by S.D.S at 6:35 AM
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4 comments:
I agree that it is a waste a time and energy to count down to our final days. We cannot put off the inevitable. Death will come for us all in time; it is the only thing that we can be certain of.
Life is too short and precious for us to be focused on the “measurement of its passage”. Look at what’s going on in Haiti. Now that is some of the worst shit that a human can experience (if you were lucky enough to have survived).
We should focus daily on what we have instead of what we don’t. We may not be where we would like to be at this point in our lives (no child said to his parents that he wants to be the guy in the car behind a wide load with his blinkers on when he grows up). We may not have the material possessions that we want; life may not have dealt us the hand that we thought it would when we were younger, but we are blessed beyond belief.
Let’s keep things in perspective. This country is not perfect, but I am grateful that I was born here. I am grateful that I have always had exactly what I needed to live a comfortable life. I have not always had everything that I wanted and that’s OK. I have a family that loves me.
I am not content spend my life in front of the TV and watch other people live it for me. I want to be a part of it and write my on Reality Show.
Instead of counting down to our ultimate demise, we should be counting down to the accomplishments that we set for ourselves. Set a goal with a definitive deadline and meet it. Take pride in yourself when you have completed something that was important to you.
I am not religious but I believe that life a daily gift that should never be taken for granted.
Following 40 I would like to sit down and have a cup of coffee with you sometime :) Beautifully put!
Agreed... Following 40 has inspired me today.
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