June 2012 was a pretty special month for the mighty Judgebrix.  Not just because it was one of the hottest months I’ve experienced for decades, since crossing the the Eastern Desert of Qena-Safaga in Egypt where temperatures soared to about 50 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit for my US followers) back in ’98, but also because it has been almost one year since doing the big migration. On top of that, there are a few events that marks June 2012 as being a special Judgebrix year.  As my mum would say, another chapter started;

• I turned 40
• Had my 10th wedding anniversary.

Damn! Where does time go these days.  It still feels like yesterday when I could see my feet, my kids were still babies and I was eyeballing my wife as she walked down the isle.

To be honest, turning 40 doesn’t bother me at all.  I’m still fairly childish, especially when dragging the kids into an hour long Lego session, and when watching silly movies.  It’s all in your mind anyway, and I do not feel 40.

How does it feel to be 40 anyway?  I would suspect it’s pretty much the same as 39!

The worst thing about getting 1 year older, when turning 40, is the fact that you are now added to a new group when completing surveys.  It didn’t sound too bad selecting the “35-39” option, but now I’m being grouped with old farts “40-45”!  Have you by the way noticed that as you get older, these groups get wider too, as if to say that we are all part of the grey army demography.

The notion that the midlife crisis looms around the corner, hitting the big 40, is rubbish.  At least I’m not trying to do something I haven’t said already,  Let’s be honest:

• I would love to get a Harley
• Get a body like Shaun T
• Take a year out and live in the Wild
• Travel the World
• Own the New iPad + the iPhone 5

These things will happen, I’m certain, but it’ll be a few years before they are a reality – especially the Shaun T bit.  Something tells me that once you can’t see your feet for the beer belly, it’s a lost cause.  But, I’m allowed to dream, right?

There are a few things that makes you feel old, but they have nothing to do with turning 40.  In reality, these feelings are fueled by other events in your life.  Without going into too much detail, these events include:

• being called Mr. by my daughters class mates, when visiting the house
• being informed by a techie in a shop that smart phones are the future
• talking to kids who don’t know what a Commodore Amiga is
  • or worse, talking to kids who looks strange at you when talking about using a joystick for playing video games
• when new bands makes cover version of old classics, and kids states that it’s a great new sound or tune
• when Hollywood do a remake of a TV show or movie from the 80s
  • or worse, do a remake or a remake
• when the clothes I wore as a kid is back in fashion today
• no able to read a text message from my nephew, because he uses txt-speak
• your 8 year old daughter teaching you new features in Facebook
• when celebrity “singers” are born very late 90’s

The list could go on, but there’s no point boring you more than necessary.  I still have to write a few lines about our wedding anniversary, which just happens to land a few days after my 40th.  At least I have no excuse for forgetting our anniversary month, as we hit a decade when I hit a new decade.

The ten years of our marriage has gone very fast and have been immensely enjoyable.  Perhaps a little too fast at times, given that we had our first two kids within 15 months of each other.  But, as you say, might as well get back into the saddle quick 🙂 – and the kids enjoy being almost the same age.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote that every American had the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.   I might add a few items to that list;

“life, liberty, Apple gear, fortune, family, friends and then happiness will com a little easier (i.e. less pursuing).”