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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Thirteen things I learned since turning 40 . . .



Okay, I had an absolute blast writing this blog entry. I knew I'd enjoyed life more since turning 40 and now I know why.

1) Gravity wins – no matter what you do, what you nip, tuck, stretch, strap down or hoist up, gravity wins.

2) I’m not as nice as I used to be – I have loads less patience for stupidity. Okay, mine included. Why do I put my glasses down when I know I won’t find them again? Where is that magical place that I keep putting my ‘most important’ documents? Why do people bother explaining things or giving directions when they don’t know how something works or WHERE they are, much less where I need to be? If I ordered a coke, I probably don’t want a sprite. Okay, end of that rant.

3) I’m nicer than I used to be – I finally understand when friends are in a funk and I can be genuinely sympathetic without being cloyingly smothering.

4) I learned the word ‘NO’Wow! That knowledge took awhile to show up.

5) I despise small-minded folks – whether they are bigots, racists, exclusive spiritual-puritans, chauvinists, extreme feminists, republicans who hate democrats or democrats who hate republicans. I’m sure that’s not all, but the rest I’ve wiped from my mind for the moment.

6) I’m not as smart as I want to be, but not as dumb as my children think I am.

7) I love the quiet. Okay, maybe it’s not really quiet. I love the wind as it brushes through my Cypress trees and rustles the needles around. I love the mundane sound of my ceiling fan. The sound of children’s laughter in the distance. I love the rush of water, determined and unstoppable, as it surges to shore. So, maybe I just love peace.

8) A good glass of wine can counteract the evils of PMS, post PMS, pre PMS, possible PMS, and it should-be PMS. Midol is for husbands.


9) My eyes are lazy. At least, that’s the reason the doc gives for the glasses I need.

10) I’ve become something of a smart-aleck this late in life. Or maybe I’ve always been a smart-aleck; I just enjoy it more now.



11) Good friends are irreplaceable and the true wine of life. They can right wrongs, deflect sadness, increase happiness, and generally make you smile.

12) I don’t think technology is all it’s cracked up to be. What happened to the simple way of doing something? Is there really a need for 40 buttons on a remote? Any remote? Why do the lights in my car have six different settings? How about on and off? When I need more passwords to access my accounts than I lived in years, even dog years, technology has gone overboard.



13) I like to smile often; laugh hard; enjoy simple pleasures; avoid too much stress, sugar, and bad-tempered people; and I like saying ‘I love you.’ If someone I care about leaves tomorrow, I want them to have no doubt as too how much I loved them today.

6 comments:

L.A. Mitchell said...

What a hoot! (My attempt at a Sandra-ism for the day.) Are these the things I get to look forward to? We know where your creative juices are flowing. Great post, hon.

Serina Hope said...

A great list. I hope that I feel the same way when I get there. I hope I am a nicer person :)

Unknown said...

I'm glad you are enjoying life post 40. I'm with you on learning No. It's tough.

Anonymous said...

I'll be 40 in about 10 months and I'm already agreeing with your post.

Somethings about aging are very liberating, aren't they?

Great post!

Andrea Geist said...

Very good.
What I've learned
1) Tell people you love them.
2) Tell them again and again.
3) Holding hands makes things less scary.
4) Friends make you a better person then you are or have been.
5) Saying thank you and smiling makes your day better, too.
6) Someone to share with multiples the joy and divides the sorrow.
7) Puppies make a bad day better
8) Naptime should be mandatory
9) I'm still waiting 'to blossom' the way my mother said I would.
10) I try to be a good person, but good intentions aren't everything. Sometimes I do it wrong or hurt someone. I'm sorry is an important thing to say. Admitting I'm wrong is a step in the right direction.
11)Listen more and talk less. I need to tattoo that on my arm.
12)I have enough things.
13) We should help each other.

Sherry A Davis said...

Aww. That was beautiful :)

I think I learned all that stuff, too. I like the one about being smarter than you thought but not as dumb as your kids believe.

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