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So I turned 40 last month. (Shrug)
I didn’t complete any lists, none of that “40 Things To Do Before Turning 40” stuff. I didn’t have time.
No gray hairs, yet. But when they come, let them come. Then I will go purple! A deep royal purple fitting for a Leo like me.
Is it really true that life begins at 40? Hard to believe that a decade ago, I was panicking before my 30th birthday. Back then, 30 was the beginning of the end, but now, I believe that your 30’s are just pre-production for your 40’s when the real show begins.
IN MY 30’S I MOVED TO NEW YORK.
I got married to my dearest.
I set aside chasing my Broadway dream to start my family, giving birth to two of the sassiest munchkins I’ve ever met.
My husband and I bought a house.
That’s a lot of amazing packed into just one decade. What will my 40s bring? I’m excited to find out!
Not really looking forward to the perimenopause that’s headed my way (ugh it’s so hot lately and wtf is happening with my period, c’mon, not cool).
I bought retinol serum. We’ll see what that does.
I DO SEE A RESURRECTION OF MY ACTING CAREER HAPPENING IN THIS DECADE.
That retinol could be useful. What I look forward to most is discovering new material for my age range. New songs, new monologues, new headshots…new roles. I started my professional career in my 20s. It only seems fitting that we reunite again in my 40s. The industry has changed so much in the time that I had left, and in a lot of ways, I see it getting better, especially for moms, BIPOC performers, trans performers, and performers with disabilities. There is still a lot of work left, but the light is getting brighter.
Maybe I’ll take up dancing? HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA, or not.
I asked my 5 year old to buy me mechanical pencils for my birthday and she got me a TEN PACK!! That’s right, buy in bulk, kiddo, good girl!
ALSO, WHAT IS THIS “AGING GRACEFULLY” THING?
Why is it mostly applied to how you look? Haven’t we learned (or aren’t we supposed to have learned) by now that it’s not what you look like, but how you treat people that matter most? You want to live forever? If life really begins at 40, make an impact, a positive one, in someone’s life. Power on with life. Move forward, continue learning, and probably more importantly, unlearn some crap.
If you’re having trouble leaving your 30’s, here are 5 amazing things about turning 40 (and beyond), especially if you’re a woman.
1. You literally stop giving a shit. It’s biological. As your estrogen levels begin to drop, women physiologically stop caring about the needs of others. As a parent, this is actually a good thing as our children get older. We are able to handle better their leaving the nest. We also lose the need to please people. Combine that with your life experience, and you are able to do you the way you want to, without guilt.
2. Your health is generally pretty good (with exceptions, of course). You are able to enjoy the things you’ve worked so hard for, such as family, hobbies, work (if you enjoyed it to begin with, anyway, LOL).
3. You know who you are. Related to #1 above, you’re more at peace with yourself, your body, and goals. You know what you want and begin to reject the drama that plagues you in your 20s and 30s.
4. Happiness awaits! In a recent survey, 80% of women in their 40s and 50s claim that middle age is better than what we’ve been sold throughout our 20s and 30s. We are more active, happier, healthier and don’t define ourselves by our age!
5. We are about to reach our peak creativity, which is comforting to those of us looking to reenter the audition circuit. According to this study, the average age for U.S. inventors applying for patents is 47.
One thing I’ve discovered in the last year of my 30s is that I have lost almost all the will to please people. I don’t care. GTFO if you think I need anyone’s approval anymore, who cares. Life’s too short.
The next decade is gonna be amazing. I’ll raise my babies into young women, guide them. Start working on myself again. Reconnect with my husband (because truthfully with a 2 and 5 year old running around, and with a pandemic going on, it’s been hard to find that time). I’ll rediscover my art. And the pandemic will end (God willing…)
Life does begin at 40. I’m only a month in and already having a blast!
Maybe I’ll work on this list now!
There is so much more to look forward to! And maybe I’ll finally make it to Broadway!
For more reasons to believe that life begins at 40, visit Best Life Online!
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