Age Perspective Part 5

Age Perspective Part 5

 Middle age is when a guy keeps turning off lights for economical rather than romantic reasons. - Eli Cass

You know you've reached 40 when a doctor, not a policeman, tells you to slow down, all you exercise are your prerogatives and it takes you longer to rest than to get tired.
~Unknown Author

At 40 you have a lot to be thankful for. Isn’t it nice that wrinkles, greying hair, thinning hair and developing belly doesn't hurt
~Unknown Author

If you are looking for wisdom about life in your forties, sorry all I could find were funny quotes.  Since I couldn’t find any published words of wisdom for turning forty, you are bound to like my perspective.

• If you can’t appreciate turning forty now, give it time because your wisdom will now come faster.  Every year after forty will make you appreciate being forty.
• Wisdom will play a very important role in your life; you will learn to do things deliberately, and well thought out, rather than impulsively.
• A small percentage of men and women will use this time to have a middle age crisis.  For some it will be a minor adjustment, for most it will be risky at best for some devastating, and destructive rather than the validation they were seeking.
• If you have done your “due diligence,” you should be well under way in your career, and your children into their teens with one foot out the door.
• Your spouses or partner should be madly in love with you because of the wonderful partner and supportive team mate you have been.

 I am a few years past my fortieth birthday (quite a few), I believe my wife will back me up on this, I have yet to experience a middle age crisis.  All my life my first concern and consideration has been my family’s needs.  Earlier in our marriage when my wife decided that the children were at an age where she could rejoin the workforce, she asked for my opinion.  All I could say to her was; if you feel you are ready I will support your decision.  I very much enjoyed knowing that the best person for the task of being a parent, and looking over my most valuable possessions was on the job full time.  Having said that, there is no way that I would get in the way of her personal growth and contribution that she wanted to make for our children’s future.

When I arrived at my forties, my children were at an age where they were growing and developing very fast.  They kept me busy and it follows that they kept me young.  I was volunteering in school, sports (basketball, softball, swimming, football), PTA.  I didn’t have time to feel old.  All of the aforementioned activities were going on while working at my career, and managing our business.

I loved my wife as much as I ever did, but we couldn’t spend enough quality time on vacation or even on Friday night dates, because of our family responsibilities, but we were both devoting equal time to the one big love we both had; our family (children).  If you’ve read my post “Making a Bucket List” February 11, 2013, you will notice they I mention on the list acquiring a muscle car this year.  That my friends is not because of a middle age crisis.  The reason is twofold;

• I feel that we can afford it
• I am thinking of it as an investment, and not just a joyride.

The age of the forties is a time when we have arrived and can better assess how fortunate we are to be where we are at.  I expected then to have a bigger challenge in the next age bracket (50’s). Being in our forties is like the last frontier of youth; someone called it the last stage of youth, and the early stage of maturity.  The best is yet to come….