40

40

It wasn’t that long ago when forty seemed really old. And today I turn forty.

As a child I assumed that I would have everything figured out by the time I was an adult, but my years of adulthood have brought as many new questions as answers. Maybe the questions are what keeps life interesting.

A lot has happened since I turned thirty. Most significantly, I became a father, which led(led) to my leaving my company, traveling around the world, and taking my career in new directions. My children have helped to keep my sense of wonder alive, and they motivate(ˈmōdəˌvāt) me to try harder every day.

The hair on my head seems to be slowly leaving me, and my knees(nē) hurt more than they used to, but I’m generally quite(kwīt) healthy, and I’m grateful for that. I’m also grateful for my family and friends, and for the folks(fōk) who come to my Morning Reading Club each day to practice.

I’m excited(ikˈsīdəd) for the next decade. I hope that by the time I’m fifty I’ll have lived in another country for an extended period(ˈpi(ə)rēəd) of time, learned a new language, published a book, and learned to play the piano. Mostly, though, I hope for quality time with family and friends.

Confucius(kənˈfyo͞oSHəs) apparently(əˈparəntlē,əˈpe(ə)r-) reached some kind of clarity by the time he was forty. I’m not sure if I have that, but maybe I’ll catch up to Confucius over the coming decades and be able to 随心所欲 by the time I’m seventy.