Spring is near. Which makes me feel hopeful. I’m not a fan of winter. As a matter of fact, I don’t like it at all. I don’t like being cold, I don’t like snow, truth be told, I don’t even like a heavy jacket. Aside from boots, turkey dinners, and holiday cookies, as far as I can tell, winter is a full-out bust. But I digress. Spring is near and it makes me hopeful and even thankful. I’ve begun to notice a select group of things for which I am now thankful at 40Something that were not so important to me earlier on. See below for my short list:
1. Coffee. I distinctly remember wondering out loud why people were so attached to coffee. I even said I prefered my caffeine cold. I’m sure I commented on the ridiculousness that people would pay $4 for a cup of coffee. As I grasp my third cup of the day (ok morning), I shake my head at my earlier inexperience. How could I have so quickly dismissed something that would become so vitally important that I would not only spend $4 for a cup of coffee, I would spend substantially more than that for a coffee maker and tiny little cup things that produce the magical liquid that can turn me from disturbingly bleary eyed to incredibly productive. Mike Ditka said it best, “It’s the lifeblood that drives the dreams of champions”. Yeah it is Mike, yes it is.
2. The Health and Beauty Industry. Let’s face it, I ain’t getting any younger as they say and my skin is beginning to reflect my age far more than I am prepared to accept. I appreciate the opportunity to, along with my sisterhood, spend billions on creams and powders and scrubs all for the purpose of appearing to be younger than I really am. I appreciate the additional time these products give me to adjust to the notion that I am, in fact, old enough to have a child that age thank you and no, I suppose I won’t need my ID to purchase a cocktail, fantastic. I’d imagine that for the most part the creams, powders and scrubs are more of a psychological help than a physical one but I’ll take it. I just need a little time to get comfortable with the idea that when I look in the mirror I now see my mother and a hint of my grandmother looking back at me. I even understand that all I really need is a little more time so that my eyesight gets just bad enough that the mirrored image is blurry enough that I can convince myself I still look like I’m in my 30s.
3. Twenty-somethings. First, it’s an entertaining generation to know. They are so idealistic and frustrated. It makes me smile a little every time I hear one of them get all high and mighty and indignant. I remember that feeling. More than that, I enjoy seeing the ones that are really going to become something impressive. It’s like finding a really good restaurant that you can’t wait to tell your friends about.
4. Thirty-somethings. First, they still have some energy, some let’s-put-on-a-show-ness which I admire. But the absolute best thing about them is that they keep me from being the youngest person in the room. In my 30s, being the youngest in the room was something that frustrated me when a 20ish was around. Like they were taunting me with their age. On this side of 40, I’ve discovered there is a confidence attached to not being the youngest person in a meeting or in a discussion or even just on a phone call. There is something to be said for knowing you’ve been through enough meetings, discussions, or phone calls to not over-think this one. There is something to be said for experience being the best teacher and recognizing that you’ve been a good enough student that you’re fairly comfortable with what you know.
5. 70s and 80s Music and TV. Nothing can provide such an escape as an old song or an old TV show. And by old, of course, I mean anything that I haven’t seen or thought about for 20 or so years. The right old song can take you back to the moment you first heard it. At any given moment, Pandora can produce a memory for me that is so clear I can almost feel the coolness of the Armory walls as I pressed against them hoping the boy of the moment would ask me to dance. It’s warm and comforting to watch an episode of The Andy Griffith Show and remember how it felt to stretch out on the floor snacking on crackers and peanut butter at the end of the long school day. That Andy, he always knew just what to say and do. There’s something very solid about the things that pull you back to your youth, something that you can only really appreciate once you have found yourself wondering how kids today can call that music.
I’m certain there are more things I should be thankful for, I’m sure there are certainly more important things to be thankful for. But, honestly, it’s almost Spring. And this is my list. Feel free to tell me what I’ve missed. It may make you feel thankful, too.
Lessons from 40 Something 