On Turning Forty

As of the date of this writing, I am two days away from entering my fourth decade. On June 29th I will be two score years old (I can't tell if that sounds better or worse than saying I'll be forty). I have friends who were genuinely traumatized when they turned forty. What keeps me sane though is the realization that they are all older than me . . . and they always will be.

I know this is a major milestone for some. We use that word "milestone" to describe significant points in our lives. Of course, the term comes from the days before road signs when people would mark their progress with a rock along the side of the road. Milestones offer you a chance to look back at where you've been and ahead to where you're going. They are as natural to aging as they are to traveling.

In the Old Testament people often used "standing stones" as reminders of God's work in their lives. In 1 Samuel 7, Israel won a major battle against the Philistines. Samuel took a stone and sets it up as a reminder for the people. In verse 12 he said, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." Every time someone passed that way they saw the rock and remembered the victory that God had won for them.

You can say what you want about aging and how forty is "over the hill," but it's a wonderful thing to look back over the years and say, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." Not only does it remind me of the blessings I've had over these past forty years but it's a reminder to look ahead to whatever else God brings my way.

I like to listen to a few of my favorite "philosophers" and what they have to say about aging. James Taylor says, "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time." Solomon said, "I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God" (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13). And, of course, Jimmy Buffett said, "I'm growing older but not up." Somewhere in the midst of those three quotes I find that forty doesn't look so much like a milestone as an opportunity to look ahead and wonder what God's got in store for me next.

And—of course—it helps that those three guys are all older than me . . . and they always will be.

I Have Some Wonderful Caching Friends I woke up on the morning of June 29th, 2007 to find forty caches waiting for me in my home area! Several of my friends had conspired along with my wife to get these placed and ready for me to go find on my birthday. I've said it before—I never got into this game to make friends. When I started caching, getting to know these people was the furthest thing from my mind. Now I can't imagine what I would do without them.