40 is NOT the new 30

You can say what you like; you can believe what you like.  But I am saying and I believe that there is not a hope is heck 40 is the new 30.  I am convinced this was made up by someone with a twisted sense of reality, determined to cling to their 30’s.  I suspect when I hit 50 I will be hearing that 50 is the new 40.  And I suspect I will disagree with that also.

 

Let me put it into perspective.  When I was younger (i.e. 21) I always imagined I’d be a well established CEO by the time I hit 40 (mum taught us to think big!).  I hit it (it being 40) 8 months ago and I can assure you I am not a CEO, not even close.  Climbing the corporate ladder is taking a little more time than I imagined when I was a young whipper snapper.  I have scrapped all thoughts becoming a CEO and will now concentrate on being happy with who I am and where I am (for now). 

To be clear, I don’t hate being 40 (okay, actually I do, just a little bit, okay, actually quite a bit) but I hate the number 40.  I’d much rather see 39 written down, 40 seems so, so, old…  When I have to tick boxes on forms these days I have moved a whole category, I now fall into 40-44.  Adverts on my social networking pages are advertising funeral plans and incontinent “underwear”.  Good god, only a year ago they were trying to sell me prams and children’s clothes.

At 40 I feel invisible.  I can't tell you why because I do not know - I just feel invisible.

 

I look back on my 30’s with a kind of wistfulness.  I wish I had of been happy with the way I looked back then.  I wish I hadn’t of been so hung up on my weight because you know what, it was fine, it was better than fine - I was a size 10 for gods sake!   I wish someone would have told me not to worry about all that stuff then because when you get older, it really is something that starts causing you grief!

 

While I won’t go grey (thanks Sarah) and my skin is in fab condition (thanks Monique) and I don’t think I really look my age (most days and yes, this makes me VERY vain and yes, I would consider a dose of botox if I ever felt I needed it) things all round are a bit slower and did I mention I feel invisible..  I find I don’t recover as quickly from nights out and I could do to lose a couple of kilos (which isn’t easy!!).

 

But on the upside, my fiery temper has subsided (it’s all too hard, while I will be nobody’s door mat, getting mad only really upsets me), I am a lot more content (sigh, = kilos added), I travel more, I worry less, I think about the past less (which is a blessed relief), I smile more (at the silliest things) and I enjoy life more because I take time to smell the roses, so to speak.

So, while 40, in my eyes, is definitely not the new 30, it’s proving to be rather enjoyable in quite a few ways that are good for the soul (it is the only positive I could draw, if it's good for the soul it sounds okay).  I still wish I could write down 39 on paper though and you know what, perhaps I will.