What do the 40s mean to you

Being in my forties means i have come a long way and i hopefully still have a long way to go.

I can finally let go of my teens and early 20's and say...it was a lifetime ago i no longer have to deal with the shame and embarrassment of those choices. i am not that person any longer.

i am now at the point of realizing my parents are aging and they won't be around forever, that saddens me.

Being the mom of a 23 yr old makes me feel soooo old. But also being the mom of a 7, 4 and 1 yr old make me feel....CRAZY....haha...i dont know...age is relevant i guess!

RedTulipMom said:

Being in my forties means i have come a long way and i hopefully still have a long way to go.

I can finally let go of my teens and early 20's and say...it was a lifetime ago i no longer have to deal with the shame and embarrassment of those choices. i am not that person any longer.

i am now at the point of realizing my parents are aging and they won't be around forever, that saddens me.

Being the mom of a 23 yr old makes me feel soooo old. But also being the mom of a 7, 4 and 1 yr old make me feel....CRAZY....haha...i dont know...age is relevant i guess!

Click to expand...

I can relate to many things you say except for the mom part. But yes, it's nice to let go of things we never should have held on too. Those 'silly' childhood foibles. God bless.

its too late to have children so there is not much to be happy about
sigh'
thats what it means to me

FoundInGrace said:

its too late to have children so there is not much to be happy about
sigh'
thats what it means to me

Click to expand...

I appreciate your honesty.

Being 40 brings so many laughs.
Remembering stupid and reckless things I did in school.
Wishing I was that age with the knowledge I have now. ( that's an extremely scary thought. )
Currently having kids come up to me at the gym commenting on I'm old. ( yeah, ok keep thinking that. )
Still remember when music was played by real musicians.
Remembering sitting by my mom's side battling her cancer and taking her last breath.
Being the age that I know she is no longer in pain and I'll see her again.

Cadaver Puncher said:

Wishing I was that age with the knowledge I have now. ( that's an extremely scary thought. )

Click to expand...

I sure do understand this. They say youth is wasted on the young and it is a rather apt saying.

I have not long turned 40 and must admit that I am still working out what it means to me.

On the surface there are benefits such as more time now my children are older but intrinsically, I do not know what to do with my new found freedom at the moment!

My journey with God is the only constant in my life so I am reaching out now to make new friends as I did leave a lot of people behind (back in the day) in order to be a better person. I am hoping that I can now attract stable people in my new found freedom and travel and just really enjoy this part of my life.

I have achieved all the educational and professional markers that have come into my life .. and still do not have enough money, lol. I am trying to return to my former state of taking life as it comes and not worrying about money. That's a priority aim for me at the moment as I reach out and try and set up something I can run for myself. I have found that worry is pointless and it is better to just get on with things!

All in all I have always looked forward mostly to being in my fifties as I most admire women in their fifties. I am in pretty good shape now and want to really work on increasing my fitness so that I can be more present and take in more of the day and really enjoy being within nature.

I want to also renovate an old house at some point.

x

The 40s mean to me: "hurry up and enjoy any significant physical activities before you can't fully enjoy them anymore!"

I have taken up whitewater kayaking and I LOVE it!!!!!

They mean my kids being in college!!! Open nest here I come!!

the 40's mean I have to do it faster than I ever did it before because time is running out!

Also maybe the 40's means financial security somewhat and debt eradication.

Well, I just turned 40, last Monday, Yay to me! Actually I am enjoying it so far. I am one of the last of my high school class to turn 40 and I guess it is a rite of passage. A lot of my friends have gotten married and have children, some of them got divorced. I heard it said once (based on an old biblical perspective) that 40 years is a period of apprenticeship. It means you train, you get tested, etc. etc. I am really thinking about this from a spiritual perspective. During the first 40 years of your life, you are considered a youth/young adult where you learn from life, including from your mistakes. At this point, you should be able to face the challenges of life as a wiser, mature person, and fulfill God's call for your life.

Of course, as one poster mentioned, you are a lot more confident based on the experiences you have had and a greater awareness of who you are as a person. I don't believe that 40 is the mid-point of life though. According to biblical reports 120 is the age limit God set for humankind, so that means that mid-life begins at 60. With this viewpoint in mind, I am excited about what life has to offer and how much more I can accomplish for God before Jesus comes back again. It also encourages me to take better care of my health.

My husband died of cancer when I was 43 (he was 41). Most of this decade so far has been about surviving and learning to live again.

Lately, I have been trying to learn to let go and experience life instead of letting what is proper and expected rule me. I would like to learn to really laugh again.

FoundInGrace said:

its too late to have children so there is not much to be happy about
sigh'
thats what it means to me

Click to expand...

It is too late to have children from your own body...however, there are many, many children who already exist that need someone to love them and just be their friend.

I have two children that I gave birth to. However, I have many other children that I claim as mine and I love dearly ... through being a scout leader, church, and coaching sports.

Your time is not over...it just doesn't look like you planned it to look. Please take that longing and share it with other children. They really don't ask for much beyond someone who will look them in the eye and see them..and will listen to what they have to say like it matters.


((hugs))

Dear Blackribbon,

I am sorry to hear about your husband. I am glad though that you have children. They tend to make the day brighter! God has a specific plan for our lives, so it's not about doing what society considers right and proper. Life has changed so much in the last decade, who is to say what is right and proper. Once it is based on the Word of God, then anything we do is for God's glory!

I am 41. My older child is starting her senior year in college and my younger one is starting her junior year in college. It appears that my 40s will bring me a certain kind of FREEDOM.

I seriously don't want to get older.....worse yet, I don't want my elders to get even older than me! I want to be positive about my forties yet find myself depressed about them alot because the fun times of youth are gone.

HoosierCanuck said:

I seriously don't want to get older.....worse yet, I don't want my elders to get even older than me! I want to be positive about my forties yet find myself depressed about them alot because the fun times of youth are gone.

Click to expand...

Hi HoosierCanuck,

I can't believe you would say such as thing, you make it sound as if you are old I think it's time to party. Don't you have any cool friends you can hang out with? Or... if you are married, maybe it's time to re-spark that romance. Life is too short! Enjoy it!

Csara said:

Hi HoosierCanuck,

I can't believe you would say such as thing, you make it sound as if you are old I think it's time to party. Don't you have any cool friends you can hang out with? Or... if you are married, maybe it's time to re-spark that romance. Life is too short! Enjoy it!

Click to expand...

Hi! I am single (long term relationship) so no romance there. I started off my 40s by becoming diabetic. My best friend that I used to do a lot of crazy stuff with in my 20s and 30s got married last year. We stay in touch but the 'party' days are over (mainly because we're both broke and can't afford to do the crazy stuff we used to). I am stuck in a job I hate with an unbridled passion that sucks the life out of me more and more each day. I could go on but I sound whiny enough already.

(tried to insert emoticon showing 'doh')

That may have been the depression talking but in all honesty, I haven't done anything "worthy of remembering via photos" since 2009....when I was 39.