Turning 40 - It’s All About the Journey

Thanks for visiting Turning 40! If you're new here, please take a moment to share your experience of Turning 40 and subscribe to my RSS feed.

Are You Turning 40 and Looking for a Profound Life Change?

Have a great day!

By Phil Knapper - Sports Editor The Benton Evening News

Officially, as I am writing this, I have six more days until I turn 40. There’s been no panic yet, no wringing of the hands and no crying or gnashing of teeth.

Just calmness. Really.

A lot of people would circle May 1 on their calendars with a big black marker if they were in my shoes. Most people I know that are turning 40 rank this particular birthday right up there with their joy of flossing. Me, I’m fine with it. Really.

Turning 40 does give you a chance to reflect on things. My 20s were great … wait, change that adjective to delicious. My 30s forced me to deal with a few more “grown up” things and, to tell the truth, I’m kind of looking forward to my 40s.

There are a couple of things, though, that do make me wonder a little bit. When you think about people that have been incredibly successful by the time they are 40, or shortly therafter, it makes you take a little stock in your life.

You think about young 40-somethings like J.K. Rowling - of Harry Potter, Inc. - and how Rowling has changed children’s literature forever. Or Johnny Depp, who was named People magazine’s “sexiest man alive” at age 40.

That kind of success is hard to live up to. I mean, I occasionally collect aluminum cans and I always treat well at Halloween, but I’m no Johnny Depp. Really.

But I do feel young. I have a job that forces me to want to stay young. I am around young people almost every day and I will show no weakness. There might be an occasional “Goo!” when I have to get off the bench in the dugout, or a knee might lock up on a trip up some rickety bleachers, but I plan on being there every day keeping it real. Really.

And I think that’s why I’m not that worried about 40. Okay, I’m worried that someone might put an ad in the paper that says “Lordy, Lordy Look Who’s 40”, but that’s just because it is the most annoying phrase ever uttered.

And, oh yeah, there’s those prostrate exams I am supposed to be scheduling on a yearly basis now, too, but, for the most part, things are cool.

Now a few facts about my birthday:

• I share the same special day with Tim McGraw (country) and Calamity Jane (western), yet I hate country and western music. Go figure.

• I share the same birthday with Ray Parker Jr. I have no explanation for that, but it is kind of cool.

• The Empire State Building was completed on May 1, 1931. We are a lot alike, me and the ESB, we both have a lot of stories.

• And, my birthday is a Russian holiday aimed at getting worker’s a shorter work day. Perfect.

My gut feeling is that this coming Thursday will come and go pretty quietly, which is more than I can say for this past year, which had some major developments.

I left a job I had held for over 15 years to come back to my hometown and work which was the first major development of Year 39. I also met a ton of new people, including some awesome co-workers, who make my job a joy every day. Lastly, I got some new wheels.

So if I can make Year 40 as great as Year 39 I will have no worries at all. Really.