40 & The Truth

TeamLab in Tokyo

I am turning 45 later this year and I have finally come to grips with what happened when I actually turned 40.. What happened? I think the stress or the pressure society puts on that number, triggers the downfall of your health. I think we all in some way experience some decline but that decline really isn’t our bodies giving up, it’s just the emotional grip on this milestone that society has built up. I think we all struggle with age and it’s emotional pressure is just triggered by how our bodies are changing and we aren’t that young spry soul we used to be. Some say we all want to hold onto our youth but I think we really just want to celebrate it.

40 was a celebration for me. I wanted to throw the biggest party to not celebrate me but to celebrate everyone I love and friends. Was my party or “Cabaret Club” outlandish and over the top, yes, just like me. I would not change a single thing about the night. Well maybe those damn balls on the bottom of the mylar balloons, so I didn’t spend the evening with a sprained ankle. So many amazing memories from that night. I finally sat down and went through all those photos and my photographer and good friend Rachel Capil was completely right. We should have shot videos. Sadly I lost a lot of photos and videos on my phone from that night. It crashed month after the event and it was not backed up. Lesson learned, cloud storage is your friend. 

Now 5 years later, my health has been a struggle for many reasons but I think there are two real reasons why. First, accepting the fact I am actually 40 something and that my 30s filled with laughter just like my 40’s thanks to my children, husband and so many loved one’s. I think 40 is just that number to ring in your wishes in life and how new priorities dictate change to those wishes. I had one wish to avoid taking 

As for the second reason, seeing so many friends conquer their 40’s after there own struggles in health has been a mounting inspiration. The kids are all going to school full time in less than a month and it’s time for my next chapter. Health being the paramount subject of this next chapter. I’ve ignored my doctor for too long and I am taking way too many pills for a 45 year old parent. With 50 approaching and 45 knocking on the door, I’ve finally resolved to also broaden our horizons and our views of the world. This was one of the main reasons for the current trip to Japan and Thailand. Clem has wanted to go to Japan for the longest time and Thailand was a nice “might as well” choice. So for now, my goal the next 5 years is to kick the pills, work on reversing my pre-diabetic status and broaden the horizons not just for me but for our family. Lessons learned, accept age is only number. We know our bodies and we just need to listen to them.