The “Almost 40’s” are the Best Years

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I’m convinced the “Almost 40’s” are the best years of our lives and here’s why:

Reason #1 We Are More Beautiful Than Ever

Remember when you were in high school and you stopped in the bathroom real quick, not to use the bathroom but to look in the mirror? Sometimes we are obsessed with our looks but by the time we are in our “almost 40’s” we have accepted that we are beautiful and unique and we don’t care half as much about what other people think of our appearance.

We know what we couldn’t fully understand then – our bodies are amazing and capable of both living and giving life. We appreciate what our bodies have done, we are thankful to be alive and healthy, and we have so many more important things to do than to linger in the mirror hoping that someone else thinks we are pretty. Extra pounds? Don’t have the perfect outfit? Hair not perfect and grays coming in? In your pajamas at lunch? Who really cares anyway? Not us, we are just over here more beautiful than ever juggling a million things between work and family.

The “Almost 40’s” are the Best Years Reason #2 We Are More Excited Than Ever

By now we have seen our share of heartache and our share of joys. We know that cancer and sickness can disrupt and destroy those we love and we don’t live a single day without waking up, embracing what we have, and loving those around us. At this point, we know what the quote “Life isn’t fair” really means.

We have learned by now that our parents were right; time flies and you can’t slow it down. Some of us have lost our parents, some of us have parents who are sick or diagnosed with chronic illnesses, and we have all noticed by now that our parents age faster than we could have believed. We age faster than we could have believed and so, we are more excited than ever to hold on to our time, to enjoy the good times and to celebrate, and to lean on each other when the bad days come. We are more excited than ever because we know our days are numbered, and we are determined to make the most of them.

The “Almost 40’s” are the Best Years Reason #3 We Know Who Our Real Friends Are

The older we get, the easier it is to spot fake people. There’s no drama we can’t walk away from or solve. There’s no one we won’t let go if we need to in order to protect our minds and hearts and those of our families. We have no time for people who pretend to be friends but who are actually content to deal in lies, gossip, deceit, and defamation. Believe it or not, suddenly we are grown ups and we act like it. Real friends are blessings we don’t take for granted. Some friendships are old and some are new, and we know how important they each are and we treasure them.

The “Almost 40’s” are the Best Years Reason #4 We Accept Change

I didn’t say we like it, but we accept it and keep it moving. Maybe we change jobs, change homes, change perceptions, change style, or even change a spouse. Change can be tough but we have been through it and know that it’s inevitable in this crazy life. Our ability to change will help us throughout our lives, not just in our “almost 40’s.”

Reason #5 We Become Bold

Most of us cared more about what other people thought when we were younger than we do now. Maybe we didn’t want to be judged or talked about for disagreeing with what everyone else thought, or maybe we didn’t even know what we thought yet. We hadn’t been bombarded with political sides and issues yet. We weren’t proclaiming our beliefs in protests or on social media. Now, we have become bold. We know what we are passionate about and most other people do too. We know the importance of believing in and standing up for what is just and good.

Let’s cherish these “almost 40’s” and not take them for granted. The “almost 40’s” are the best years. Things aren’t perfect, but life is still good.