Turning 40

I turned 40 years old on Tuesday, and I can’t help but to feel that the word forty itself; seems to carry a weight with it unlike any age that has come before it. Perhaps, this stems from the weight of expectation, among other things, that occupancies one who is of the age of forty. I suppose this might be because, by forty you’re pretty much expected to have your life figured out and (thanks to Botox filling every nook and cranny in America), also appear to be frozen in your thirties. Which makes it hard to know what forty is even supposed to look like anymore. None of which I can relate to in anyway.

So, if you asked me if I’ve figured my life out. I’d laugh and say absolutely not! However; what I do know is that my goal is to live life to its fullest potential; and I’m having a great time figuring it out. I can honestly say that I know myself better now than I ever have before, but I also know there’s so much more to be discovered. Though I may have grown wiser through my experiences over the last forty years; I also know that I still have a whole lot still left to learn.

God has blessed me tremendously with amazing friends, family, and a community of people who love me, support me, believe in me, and encourage me. He has given me the privilege of assisting others through some of life’s most difficult challenges through the work that I do. He has also blessed me with my own difficulties, struggles and challenges all of which have helped me to grow as an individual.

I’ve been given the opportunity to paint the world as I see it and share it with others as well as the opportunity to travel, explore, and experience our beautiful country in ways I never could have dreamed of, let alone thought were even possible. So while my life is far from what it maybe expected to be. It’s anything but ordinary and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’ll gladly and proudly carry the weight of forty, along with every wrinkle that comes along with it, and be grateful that I can. After all, you’re only as young as you feel, right?