The Blue Zone

It is 2024 and I’m in my early 40s.

40s is a strange decade - you are no longer young, but you are not old yet. Your parents have started aging - if still alive, and start having some health issues. Your kid is still young, and hence dependent on you even for basic needs (like time and attention, not just finance). It is this decade where you finally come into your own, you have friends with whom you want to hang out with. You are no longer trying to impress one and all - you have finally found comfort on who you are. In a party, you no longer feel the need to talk to new people, try to make new connections - you are rather happy to find a corner with people you like, and spend your whole time not making any new introductions. It is this age where you finally start discovering yourself.


The first thought that crossed my mind on my 40th birthday was this - what would my life be at the end of another decade from now? I realized it would change a lot - the daughter would be off to college (base case scenario), and parents may or may not be around. I was celebrating the night with my closest friends, but I was deep in thought about the change next decade was going to bring. I wanted to make the most of it - be there for your kids as well as your parents - this will be their lasting memories of you, and your memory of them.


When people think of old age, they usually associate this with negative emotions. To me, I think my life has properly begun at the 40s, and I have to discover so many things about everything. The 20s were more about education and finding your place in the world. 30s meanwhile were spent finding the balance between the personal and professional life - and trying to survive (financially and without too many strikes in life). This is when my life is now really starting - how do I plan to live the rest of my life.



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