Life begins at 40?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Mel!

Sous Chef
Joined
Aug 29, 2006
Messages
862
Do you agree that life begins at 4o? Give reasons for you opinion. :)
 
Do you agree that life begins at 4o? Give reasons for you opinion. :)


Interesting phrase. It was probably coined by someone at or around 40 years old who was trying to feel better about aging.

In my opinion, any day above ground is a good day. How good is up to you.
 
My life didn't begin at 40, it just changed. The kids were grown, I no longer was cooking for an army, the house stayed cleaner longer, leaving me time to do the things I always wanted to do. And I did them. :chef:
 
Gee! I passed 40 more than 20 years ago and I can barely remember what that age was like. I DO know that we still had a house full and that Buck and I were working multiple jobs. At "my" 40 I was too busy to contemplate whether or not life was beginning.

I've had many "beginnings" in my lifetime and, like Andy, I'm grateful for each day I'm here. I've nearly died four times and I like this side of the world whole muches. I hope I have nine lives, because I plan on being here for a lot longer.

Now, I've been retired for nearly three years and it's as close to perfect as I could imagine. Every day can be Friday if I want it to be. I haven't worn a watch most of these three years and I don't miss it. I used to wake up at night and glance at the clock to see how much more time I had to get some sleep. Not any more!!!! By golly, if I want to take a nap in the middle of the day...I do.

If I want to stay up until the wee hours watching TV, reading or whatever, there's no consequence and I can sleep until lunchtime to get my rest. Conversely, going to bed early has also been on my agenda.

When the spirit moves us and we want to hop on our Harley and ride where the wind takes us, we can gear up, lock the doors and fly down the road.

As for life beginning at 40, guess everyone has their own definition of what that would be. Mine happened, but not at 40.

Another possibility is that, after Buck's death, my life began again when Glenn became part of it.

There are all sorts of possibilities.
 
My Mom told me that at 40 she stopped caring so much about what people thought of her and just did and said what she liked. Perhaps 40 means a loss of inhibition?


 
My life didn't begin at 40, it just changed. The kids were grown, I no longer was cooking for an army, the house stayed cleaner longer, leaving me time to do the things I always wanted to do. And I did them. :chef:
Yeah, same with me. :)

One thing I miss about being younger, is being able to see the world and people with innocenct eyes. It really is true, that ignorance is bliss. But, maybe there is some advantage to my new found cynical outlook? Maturity has some advantages, surely?
 
Maybe a better way to phrase it is "Life doesn't end at 40."
Ha! Yeah! I remember being amazed that life still held surprises for me, after I was 30. I thought, now that I reached 30, life is going to go on the same for many years. Within the following 5 years, it was like somebody turned my life upside down and shock it, and then it fell back together in a completely different way. :)
 
For me my twenties were a blast even though I didn't have a pot to piss in. No cares or worries!

My thirties was all about being married and trying to conquer the world.
(I came close to the later-I thought)

My forties are all about raising my kids and trying to keep heathy so I can see them grow up. I agree with the not caring about what others think of you anymore and being comfortable with yourself and who you are.
 
I guess I would have to say for me life doesn't "begin", but every challenge and accomplishment I get through I am stronger. My paternal grandmother died at 72 of breast cancer and heart complications. Her life motto was "you are as young as you feel". Right up to the day she died my grandmother was young. We did some amazing things together!

For me, at 40 I was in an extremely abusive marriage, I was battling a couple of different types of depression, was trying to stay one step ahead of the creditors but was on a government handicap pension and only able to work for an extra $100 a month. I think I would have loved my life to end (the life I was living, not necessarily life itself).

Since then I got out of the marriage, married someone I had known for years as a friend, battled osteoarthritis and other new challenges, survived and graduated from culinary school (45), work for a caterer and then catered on my own for five years, looked after my Dad and despite everything going on have never felt better in my life (I am 53).
 
I think what I noticed once I was in my forties was that for the first time in my life I felt like I was finally being treated like an adult by society as a whole.

Now I cringe when people call me sir or address me by my last name with Mr in front.....

Now I am 54 and still feel very young mentally but physically I suffer from old man grunt.
 
Must be a trend. My 40s sucked. My marriage went downhill to a divorce, I was always broke and got laid off from a great job.

My 50s and 60s, on the other hand, have been great. Met my SO (turned my life around), watched my kids become great adults and have been enjoying my grandson.
 
My 30s were nothing to write home about, but I enjoyed my 40s quite a bit. I spent those years watching my spazzy kid develop into a wonderful and intelligent young lady. I also had enough money for the first time in my life to do some of the things I hadn't been able to previously. The wife and I made a few trips to far away places, and we were finally able to sink some money into our home and investments.

My 50s so far have been okay, but I can definitely feel myself slowing down. The sudden bouts of forgetfulness are a little troubling as well. Nothing worse than opening the door of the fridge and forgetting what you were in there for. Or not being able to recall a word you've used a thousand times before. That one drives me nuts. :neutral:
 
Last edited:
At 40 I embarked on a new adventure. Finished nursing school and found the vocation of a lifetime.
 
Well, I am turning 40 in October this year. I definitely have something in my life that I want to change, I hope I have the courage to do so before life passes me by.
 
Do you agree that life begins at 4o? Give reasons for you opinion. :)
Life begins when they slap you on the back, wipe the mucous out of your mouth and ink and stick your foot on the birth certificate. It ends when you give out your last gasp.

Maybe a better way to phrase it is "Life doesn't end at 40."
That's a far more productive way to state it, from a person who is now far south of 40.

For those of you under 40, life is no less precious just because you have 4 decades behind you. In fact I wonder if life does not get more precious every year. It's just you don't think about it much under 40, or at least I didn't.

Now I cringe when people call me sir or address me by my last name with Mr in front.....
I always tell folks, "You must be confusing me with my father, Mr. ....." I'm just plain Greg.
 
Last edited:
That was my mouse and keyboard's fault. My spell checker wanted a space in the word and my mouse put it in the wrong place! :rolleyes:

"That's my story and I am sticking to it!" :LOL:

My spell checker always wants to spell my last name as "Ambiguous.":LOL:
 
Back
Top Bottom