A reflection on turning 40 — Am I now “over the hill?”
“I’m just looking for the fountain of middle age.” — Rodney Dangerfield in Back to School
Today is the 40th anniversary of the day of my birth. I have lived 40 years, 480 months, 2,087 weeks, or 14,610 days.
I never understood celebrating birthdays. First of all, every person has exactly one birthday. You only exit the womb once (via the ol’ birth canal or through the relatively new cesarean section) on a specific day and time. Every year after is an anniversary of your day of birth. So, people are actually celebrating the anniversary of the day of birth. The problem is that is a mouthful.
“Hey Carl, happy 5th anniversary of the day of your birth!”
A few years ago I celebrated the anniversary of my day of birth in Las Vegas. I scheduled a Thai poultice massage. This hour-long journey to the height of relaxation was sublime. The sensation I experienced was what I imagine it’s like to be birthed. It was extraordinary, and I highly recommend it.
Which celebrities share a birthday on September 21st?
- Stephen King (70)
- Bill Murray (67)
- Shinzō Abe (63)
- Dave Coulier (58)
- Faith Hill (50)
- Alfonso Ribeiro (46)
- Liam Gallagher (45)
- Nicole Richie (36)
- Anne Burrell (48)
- Luke Wilson (46)
- Jason Derulo (28)
- Jerry Bruckheimer (74)
- Ricki Lake (49)
This second list is different in that these celebrities are no longer living.
- H.G. Wells (1866–1946)
- Leonard Cohen (1934–2016)
- Chuck Jones (1912–2002)
- Larry Hagman (1931- 2012)
What is with the fascination of the birthday of someone who has passed?
“Hey, did you know J.R. from Dallas would have been 86 today?”
“Yah? So what? He’s not.”
Once someone dies, isn’t the date of his or her death now more significant than the date of his or her birth?
“Hey, can you believe J.R. from Dallas has been gone for five years?”
“Wow, that long huh?? And who shot him again?”
See, that gives you the sense of time. The birthday is irrelevant.
Which birthdays should be celebrated?
People love celebrating all birthdays and that’s fine; however, some anniversaries of the day of birth are worth celebrating more than others. There are arbitrary ages our society has deemed acceptable for certain activities/responsibilities.
Birth — receive social security number. I was going to post mine here, but Equifax has done a sufficient job of disseminating it I’m sure.
5 — starting kindergarten, can fly alone as an unaccompanied minor. I actually just made the cut-off and started kindergarten at age 4.
13 — may have a social media account on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc., may apply for emancipation in most states, watch PG-13 films. Social media did not exist when I was 13. I was too busy playing Nintendo and being warned about acid rain and the ozone layer.
16 — able to get drivers license. My first car was a 1984 Chevrolet Caprice Classic purchased for $1,600 in Battle Creek, Michigan.
17 — watch R-rated movies. To the best of my recollection, the first R-rated movie I saw in theater was The Shawshank Redemption based on a novella by Stephen King. It is still in my Top Ten All Time Best Movies list.
18 — graduating high school, legal age to vote, no restrictions on work, purchase and use tobacco in 46/50 states, federal age of consent, age to get body modifications without parental consent, ability to purchase/consume pornography, ability to open individual checking/savings accounts, apply for loans and credit cards, marriage without parental approval in 48/50 states, males register for Selective Service, you are charged as an adult if you violate the law, you can be selected for jury duty, and you are legally obligated to pay all debts. I was still 17 when I started college, so I believe I celebrated this milestone in a dorm room eating cheap pizza and watching Pulp Fiction.
21 — legal age to purchase/consume alcohol, legal age for most gambling, minimum age for a concealed weapons permit. My first drink of choice? Rum and Coke.
35 — Minimum age to run for President of the United States. Our current President Trump is the oldest person to be inaugurated at age 70.
40 — Over the hill??? Keep reading.
50 — Senior discounts if member of AARP. Personally, I think this one would get me more than turning 40, but I will let you know in 10 years.
59 1/2 — Federal tax law allows withdrawals from pension and IRA accounts without penalty
62 — Social security age. Although if you start taking benefits at age 62, you will only receive 70% of your benefits.
65 — All senior discounts
67 — Social security maximum benefit. I am sure this age will be increased by the time I am able to collect benefits if there are any benefits left to collect.
70 1/2 — Must take a minimum distribution from all tax-qualified retirements plans
78.8 — Average life expectancy in the US
Why is turning 40 considered “over the hill?”
As a child one of my favorite places in the mall besides what my dad called the “video game parlor” was a store called Spencer’s. This store is a purveyor of various pop culture items, gag gifts, and naughty items stored in the back. I remember seeing a section of birthday items, and inevitably any items related to turning 40 were black or otherwise comical but dark. There was no optimism about turning 40, only that the best part of your life is behind you and now you are “over the hill” and on the way down.
When I was a kid 40 definitely seemed old. Now that I’m here, I don’t think it’s old at all. 60..now THAT is old. (sorry, couldn’t resist!) I will spare you the tired clichés such as “40 is the new 30” and all that. My point is that yes, turning 40 is a milestone that seems to draw a lot of attention. I prefer to view it in a positive light.
“I’m enjoying 40. Old enough to know better, young enough not to care.” — Billy Zane
Throughout history many people have not made it to 40. I am grateful that I did, and that I am still in reasonably good health. According to my primary care physician from several years ago, “On paper, you are a relatively healthy young man.”
I have had doubts that perhaps I am behind or have not accomplished everything I was supposed to accomplish by 40. Then I look at a list like this.
34 examples of extraordinary achievements later in life
- Vera Wang started designing clothes professionally at age 39.
- Bill Wilson founded Alcoholics Anonymous at age 40.
- Donald Fisher co-founded the Gap at age 41.
- Robert Noyce co-founded Intel at age 41.
- Chip Wilson founded Lululemon at age 42.
- Robin Chase co-founded Zipcar at age 42.
- Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, was 43 when LinkedIn went public.
- Samuel L. Jackson received his first acting award at age 43.
- Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart at age 44.
- Henry Ford created the Model T car at age 45 and invented the assembly line at age 60.
- Rodney Dangerfield became a star comedian at age 46.
- Bob Parsons founded GoDaddy at age 47.
- Momofuku Ando invented instant ramen at age 48.
- Martha Stewart started the magazine Martha Stewart Living at age 49.
- Leo Goodwin Sr. founded Geico at age 50.
- Bernie Marcus co-founded Home Depot at age 50.
- Charles Darwin wrote On the Origin of Species at age 50.
- Jack Cover invented the Taser gun at age 50.
- Julia Child had her first television show at age 51.
- Tim and Nina Zagat started Zagat reviews both at age 51.
- Betty White became famous on the Mary Tyler Moore Show at age 51.
- Ray Kroc joined the McDonald’s franchise at age 52.
- Bill Porter founded E*Trade at age 54.
- John Pemberton created Coca-Cola at age 55.
- Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director for the movie The Hurt Locker at age 58.
- Charles Flint launched IBM at age 61.
- Colonel Harland Sanders started KFC at age 62.
- Laura Ingalls Wilder published the first of her “Little House” books at age 65.
- Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize at age 69.
- Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence at age 70.
- Peter Roget compiled the first thesaurus at age 73 and he oversaw every update until he died at age 90.
- Grandma Moses started painting at age 76.
- Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa at age 75.
- Barbara McLintock received the Nobel Prize in medicine at age 81.
I am incredibly inspired when I read that list, and I hope you are too. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but I am not a dog and 40 is not old. I am focused on constant learning and improving how my mind processes the world around me.
“We have to abandon the idea that schooling is something restricted to youth. How can it be, in a world where half the things a man knows at 20 are no longer true at 40 — and half the things he knows at 40 hadn’t been discovered when he was 20?” — Arthur C. Clarke
Regardless of how old you are, now is the time to take action. Stop living one day after the other without a sense of purpose. Instead of comparing yourself to others, compare yourself to the person you were yesterday. Express gratitude for the opportunities you have been given.
“Over the hill?” I don’t think so. I’m just getting started.
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