Thoughts on turning 40

With my impending and now arrived birthday, I get the usual how does it feel to be...... questions, and all the over the hill type thoughts and the like. While I don't (now) think 40 is that old and I know everyone is just having some good old fun, I thought I would share a few thoughts on turning 40, for your reading pleasure.

First, since you're all waiting for them and wondering, I will share some negatives.

Physically, I feel the age a little more.
- My right calf (moo) takes about a quarter to a half mile of running before it stops screaming at me with every step.
- My left elbow has decided to surrender to age and just pain me all the time.
-I still want to eat the whole box of cereal, the whole package of oreos and the whole carton of ice cream, but if I even try, it almost kills me.
- My fine wrinkles on my forehead are now deep set and I don't think that even the oil of olay will get rid of them.
-My sun damaged skin is also a bit more fragile when I fight, or climb things or whatever. It doesn't tear like old guy skin yet. I have seen that.....not pretty.

I didn't get where I was planning on getting in my career. In fact, I took a job in a whole new field that, while not necessarily a dead end job, has been able to provide me with progressively worse assignments, days off and pay this year.

Ok, those seem to be the only drawbacks to my advanced age. On the bright side:

- I have been blessed with a wonderfully amazing family and incredible friends.
- I have gotten a little bit more patient with setbacks at work and in life....a little bit more.
- I do have a job that pays pretty decent and every now and then provides some good stories....and I might get re-assigned to doing stuff I like again soon.
- As the last statement shows, I am learning to cultivate optimism.
- I can run further than I was ever able to before. Well, at least I can run further than I have been able to in a while.
- I am lighter than I was when I was training for this job and am working on losing a few more pounds.
-While I am not faster than I ever was, I am not slower. I never was very fast to begin with, and now I am working on the speed a little bit.
- I am better at dealing with people than I used to be.
- My writing is getting better and I still get some chances to improve my public speaking, which I do enjoy.
- I look good. What more can I say?