One. More. Day.

This is either the last or second to last post that I will write as a 30-something. I actually think that’s kind of cool. As I’ve written a number of times (here, there and everywhere) – age is a number. It’s more about what society has deemed appropriate (or inappropriate) than anything else. “Act your age!” Well, sorry, but I’m not sure what that means. There’s a certain something – wisdom, perhaps – that comes with age. It’s some kind of peace knowing that you’ve lived enough years to know a few things. And, still, there’s enough years left to be able to put that knowledge into practice. We spend an awful lot of time saying things like, “If I only knew then what I know now.” Well, the fact is, come 40 – I feel like I know a pretty good amount. I feel like maybe, just maybe, while I’ll certainly always keep learning – now it’s really time to start living. I’ve found myself being completely amazed by some of the things that I see and experience lately. How to better explain this? For example, a good friend of ours tried to bring Valentine’s Day cookies to her two-year old daughter’s class at the Jewish Community Center and was told she couldn’t do so, as it celebrated a Christian tradition? I’m sorry, what? The kids are two. They are sharing, but the Director felt it more important to focus on completely the wrong issue. In her infinite wisdom, she was teaching intolerance at the on place where tolerance should be the focal point of nearly every lesson. Years ago, I might have blown this off. Now, however, while I haven’t figured out my exact course of action – action will indeed be taken. I’ve spent the better part of my (working) life working too much. At night. Early in the morning. On vacation. To this point, it’s always been very difficult to “shut it down” and just allow emails to go unanswered (after traditional hours). But, in the last couple of months, something has clicked. I do believe it’s the impending milestone of turning 40 that has made me understand that the earth won’t spin off its rotation if I don’t check my email at 10 PM (or later). It’s okay if I leave the CrackBerry at home during the weekends. The focus should be on family – not work. I never would have figured that out before now. Sure, a great part of this isn’t just 40, but it’s also fatherhood. The combination of which provides for a particularly daunting and invigorating period of introspection. I do believe, however, that it’s got more to do with 40 than fatherhood. (As evidenced by the fact that I’ve worked all hours for the last two-and-a-half years with the kid.) My father-in-law likes to say that, “youth is wasted on the young.” I don’t know if that’s true anymore. I think youth is all about trial and error. It’s about experimentation, testing, tasting and challenging. Perhaps, with youth we just don’t know what to do with the results. At 40, though, I feel like I’ve tried so many different things. I’ve experienced incredible highs and horrible lows. And, now, finally, I feel like I can take all the lessons I’ve learned and put them into practice. I feel like I have REAL credibility. I feel like I have some kind of peace. I feel like I can help K-Man continue to develop into a great kid and person. I don’t know that I could have done that at 30 and certainly not before that. Life begins at 40. You know, I really think I believe that. It’s time to truly stand up for what I believe. Continue to chase what I want. And after 40 years of creating the foundation – it’s time to build the rest of my life. I can’t wait to see what comes next. I can’t wait to take the last 40 years of my life and channel every experience I’ve ever had into every day of the next 40 years (and beyond). (It’s a little scary, sure, but if it gets too bad – I’ll just buy a convertible Corvette and dye my hair.) Seriously, age is just a number. I’ve got a kid to remind me about all that is wonderful about being young. And, I’ve now got 40 years of experience to call upon in any situation. That’s kinda cool. Act my age? Whatever. What the hell does that mean anyway?