This is 39.97

So this is 39.97.  Listening proudly as your 6-year-old daughter breezes through a book meant for her older brother, while also making a mental note to schedule your mammogram.  And feed those darn goldfish. And sign your son’s summer school permission form. And tackle the nine gazillion other family details that are constantly bouncing around your brain. I will ultimately remember to handle roughly five gazillion of them, and I’ll call it a win.  

I don’t know what 40 is, really.  I can’t claim it quite yet. Is it the new 30?  I couldn’t tell you.  I know I felt 20 (at least mentally) until recently.  I know I can still vividly remember my dad’s 40th birthday party.  I know that this life flies by.  The years are short, right? I mean, look at the words in your internet browser. Still, the quickness with which it passes manages to surprise me. 

Your 20s are so damn hard.  You have to figure out all of the things and experience major growing pains.   Major omg-no-one-is-handing-me-gold-stars-every-semester-any-longer-so-what-am-I-supposed-to-do-and-how-will-my-existence-be-validated kind of pains.  There are bills and insurance and plumbing issues. Oh my!  It’s no wonder 20-somethings drink so much. 

I got married basically right as I hit 30, so that decade flew by, filled with difficult pregnancies and tiny babies and figuring out how to live with a boy. They were magical years, but I honestly spent the majority of them trying to keep my head above water. 

Now, as I look at 40, I know I still have time, but I also have the sense that time is not unlimited.  This gives me the gift of sudden courage to dive in and do the things I want to do.  I have long wanted to run a half marathon.  So I started running.  I have always wanted to write a book.  So I started writing.  It’s simple, really, but that’s not to say it’s easy. 

I’m not alone as I approach this new decade.  My Facebook feed is filled with photos of my high school and college friends as they commemorate this milestone via parties and vacations.  I’m so happy to see they are all seizing this opportunity to celebrate life.

As for my impending birthday, I am going to revive a childhood tradition.  The birthday week.  In that week, I would like to spend a day on the water with my family.  And have a spa day.  There will definitely be champagne.  I heard the Good Village is even putting on a fireworks show that week. 

This will be the best decade yet.  I am lucky I get to see it. I am lucky I get to watch my kids grow up, I get to continue to enjoy my husband, and I get to see our family’s dreams materialize.  I know there will still be stressors and hurdles. There will still be difficult seasons, because this is life after all.  But I feel somehow better equipped to handle them. Maybe that’s foolish. But maybe it’s just brave. 

So I enter this new decade with a gleam in my eye, gratitude in my heart, and the hope that I come out the other side a little wiser…and maybe with a half marathon and a publishing contract under my belt.  That’s not too much to ask, right?