Stuff I’m Starting To Figure Out At 40

Today I am 14,627 days old. I think that makes me something like 173 years old in dog years.

I’ve been 40 for a little over two weeks now. Let me give you a little advice and tell you some of the things I am starting to figure out in all my years of life (said like a 100 year old man sitting in his rocking chair on his front porch smoking a pipe).

1. Find a couple of really good friends and nurture those relationships. The older you get, the more grateful than ever you will be for real friends.
2. You are much stronger than you ever thought you were. It takes a lot to break you. Don’t be afraid to push the limits.
3. Start exercising now! or even sooner – you will thank yourself later for it. Your fitness and health goals may seem far off and unattainable, but the sooner you start the sooner you will be saying… “I can’t believe just six short months ago…”
4. Drink a lot of water – it’s a lot better for you than anything else (this coming from a Mountain Dew addict of 20+ years).
5. Focus while you are driving – don’t die because you are stupid.
6. Write down things you are thankful for. Journal more about the blessings in your life. These lists make great reminders later on when you need them. Live a life of thankfulness.
7. Don’t be ashamed to tell people that you take naps – they are good for the soul!
8. The older you get, the less you care about what is cool – you want comfortable, practical, dependable.
9. Write down the things that your children do and say – record your children’s voices at an early age singing songs or telling a story or saying, “I love you daddy!”  Or how about your daughter singing her Old Testament books…
   

   Or what about when she tells you that she went poopoos and peepees…

10. Classic rock is now your rock – play the air guitar to your golden oldies when they come on the radio
11. Give generously – have a benevolence fund – you won’t regret giving a lot away
12. You have a family of choice and a family of chance – don’t waste years on the family of chance that doesn’t treat you well
13. Eat the foods you love – in proportion and moderately
14. Tell other people your goals – it makes you accountable to someone – makes it harder to not do them
15. Stay focused on your marriage – You have friends and marriages around you starting to drop like flies
16. Hug and kiss your kids – shower them with attention and love – who cares if they are superstar athletes – let them know you love them and support them 100%
17. It seems like every conversation you have with a male friend starts with… “I’m not having a midlife crisis, but…”
18. Take a lot of pictures, but don’t miss the moments
19. You don’t have to make everyone like you – some people are stupid
20. Change can be very good for you and your family – try something new
21. Be authentic with others – bare your soul
22. It’s not about work – it’s about people, relationships, family, and friends
23. Have sex frequently with your spouse – it’s important and your relationship needs it
24. You seriously do start to lose your vision when you turn 40
25. Only buy it if you can pay cash for it
26. Put your phone down a lot more often – oh yeah and turn off the TV
27. As boring as it sounds, coffee with friends is the best night ever
28. Don’t take yourself too seriously – even 40 year olds want to laugh and have fun and be immature every once in a while
29. Reading is good for you – the Bible, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, self-help…
30. Your spouse should be your superhero – they have put up with a lot of crap from you
31. What’s most important? Love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind – Love your neighbor as yourself.
32. Live a little – be spontaneous – don’t live every day with a plan
33. Buy the car, the shoes, the whatever – take the vacation – make memories – spend a little extra and get the better quality version
34. Save money – listen to Dave Ramsey when you are 16
35. Create a better story for your life
36. Smile more
37. You should have worn more sunscreen when you were younger
38. Failure can be a large blessing in disguise – look for the blessing
39. Don’t settle
40. Your spouse will turn out like their parent that you never thought they would turn out like
41. One Oreo at 40 equals a station wagon full of ice cream when you were 18
42. You can be injured in the middle of the night without doing anything – muscle spasms, cramps – you will wake up hurt at some point for no reason
43. A 15 year old getting a permit and sitting behind the wheel of a lethal automobile seems like the stupidest thing someone could allow
44. The next room must be pretty far away, because by the time you get there, you forget why you went there
45. Your 12 year old son knows more about technology than you ever will
46. Slow down and appreciate the beauty around you – God made some cool stuff for you to look at
47. Life goes very fast
48. The older you get, the more you love people and the more liberal your views become
49. Your mom was right a lot, your dad was right occasionally
50. Get a dog – they are man’s best friend for sure
51. God wants to hear from you
52. Abs of steel are as elusive as a unicorn
53. Expand your horizons and travel – with people.
54. Invest in your marriage – marry someone you can sit on the couch with for hours and not say a word to while reading – treasure your marriage
55. Minimalism and tiny houses – you don’t need so much stuff!
56. Take that risk – even if you flop you won’t regret it
57. Your kids grow up way, too fast – You start to look forward to grandkids because you miss when your kids were little
58. The older you get, the easier it is for you to get choked up – movies, commercials, looking at old photos of people you love, thinking about Jesus
59. Celebrate others more
60. Be kind and have courage – yeah, I ended with a quote from Cinderella.