Conversation and camaraderie for 40+ imzyers!
How are your 40s?

I just turned 41 the other week. I did not hit my 40s gracefully. It's been hard not to look at it as a milestone where I've looked at where all my peers are and counted my own disappointments. Which is a massive trap, I know, but the reminders of other people's accomplishments are everywhere.
It's strange to think that your "40s" have to be any ONE thing. I guess society and the education system and pop culture and f'n Facebook sort of inadvertently conspire to strongly suggest that a person in their 40s should be a certain thing. Be at a certain stage, have certain things. When I turned 40, I had a drink at a local dive bar and this bartender -- who I'd known for a little while -- was genuinely shocked when I told her that I'd just turned 40 since she'd assumed I was much younger. Her next question was immediately, "Do you have kids?"
I didn't. (I don't.) But that was her natural question because people in their 40s have kids, right? Most of my friends certainly do.
Anyway, how did it feel turning 40 for you? Was it easy? Was it difficult? Did it change anything for you?




ICU zorkinator. :) cute animation. I'm 49. My advice to everyone just entering their 40's is to skip the bullshit and go straight to pursuing what truly makes you happy in whatever feasible way you can. And exercise. And eat right. And love, a lot. And practice not giving a fuck. :)
I'm just a couple of years behind you, and I love this comment! Heartily endorsed by your neighbour to the north.
And always listen to Canadians. ;)
I'm 42 and somehow have managed to become pretty successful, so in those terms things are good. I'm also happily married, so that is also great.
I do however find myself looking back to my 20s at the things I did and wonder what my life would have been like if I had pursued those things. Specifically, I was a musician and I left that behind when I started my career in the tech world. That was a big decision that I didn't put enough thought into at the time.
I didn't mind it when my forties rolled around (and just generally, I don't mind being "middle-aged"). I do sometimes look back and think about how looooong ago particular things were, though, and just boggle. Like many fortysomethings, I've had a lot of life.
Wait, do I have to leave this community in august?
Maybe it should have been called 40plus or 40up, but I think this oughta be a place for the generally over 40 crowd. We don't have the numbers to split the audience further!
Good. It's harder than that to get rid of me anyway.