Milestones...

I introduced myself as "almost 40".  Truth is, I turn 40 in two months and one day...not that I'm counting or anything.  The trouble with turning 40 is that it seems to be either a big deal or it isn't.  What if you're not sure if it's a big deal or not?  What if you're just following the tide of the "don't worry about it" or  the "it's so scary" people?  Sure, I am incredibly fortunate and happy with where my life is...so I'm not supposed to feel overwhelmed by the odometer rolling over to 40?  I dunno.  I am wrestling with it.  Like maybe some of you have.  Am I bothered by 40? Or am I feeling something else just because 40 is a milestone that makes me think?

Milestones seem to serve as celebrations of what we've accomplished.  But sometimes they serve as reminders of what we are leaving behind or perhaps haven't accomplished...or maybe accomplished subpar.  The term reminder is defined (one of several) as "a warning so that a mistake can be avoided."  I read that and thought, "ew"!  Really, I did.  I never thought of it that way.  I mean, as a negative.  Is my 40th serving as a "reminder" or a "celebration"?  I guess it's really up to me and how I decide to look at it.  Maybe that's easier said than done.  Just choose, right?  We face choices every day.  What shirt do I wear?  That's an easy one, right?  Well, maybe sometimes.  Then there are decisions that have more weight. Should I marry this man?  Should I take this job?  Should I start a family?  Yea, the bigger choices.  The ones we sometimes seek insight and support from our friends and family.  Choices have a ripple effect, like all the movies that show the characters what life would be like if they had chosen differently.  Maybe I need a magic 8 ball and just leave it to chance?  The more I think about it, the more I realize that there are so many ways people seek help in making decisions. Counselors, palm readers, psychics, personal superstitions, rituals, and divine insight are just to name a few.  Even with all the insight we can collect, we still have to make our own decisions,   and at the end of the day, we'll have figure out how to negotiate the choices we made.

So, what's your 40?  A celebration, a reminder, or something else?

Reminder. (2013) In FreeSauraus for Apple iOS (version 1.2.) [Mobile application software]