Well, so, life at 40 for a man, huh? Let me tell ya, it ain’t like them young fellas on the TV. Things change, you see. Your body, it ain’t what it used to be. Muscles start to go soft, like a rotten apple. You gotta keep movin’, liftin’ stuff, even if it hurts a bit. Doc says it keeps your bones strong too, and that other thing, whatchamacallit, test… tess… somethin’ like that, up.
Forty, is it old? Is it young? Who knows! Some folks say you’re gettin’ up there, others say you’re still got some pep in your step. I reckon it’s in the middle. You ain’t a spring chicken no more, but you ain’t ready for the rocking chair neither. You got more sense in your head, seen a thing or two, but still got time to try new stuff, if you’re up for it.
Now, there’s this thing called the pro… prostrate. Yeah, that’s it. Seems like every fella over forty starts havin’ trouble with it. Gettin’ bigger, or worse, gettin’ that… that cancer thing. Gotta go see the doc regular, get poked and prodded. Not fun, but better than the alternative, I say.
And listen here, fellas. When you’re young, you’re all about yourself, chasin’ skirts and whatnot, or workin’ like a dog for that promotion. But when you hit forty, especially if you got a family, things shift. You start thinkin’ ‘bout them more than yourself. Kids gotta eat, wife needs a new pair of shoes, that kinda thing. It ain’t bad, just different.
- You start liking boring things. Like that song, “Hip to be Square”, yeah, that’s it. Suddenly, you’re wearin’ suits and eatin’ breakfast like a good boy. Who woulda thunk it, right?
- And your insides, they ain’t right either. Hormones are all over the place. One minute you’re happy as a clam, the next you’re grumpier than a bear with a sore paw. It’s like being a teenager all over again, but with more wrinkles.
But hey, it ain’t all bad. You get this… this confidence thing goin’ on. You don’t care so much what other folks think. You know who you are, what you like, and you ain’t afraid to say it. It’s like you finally grow into your own skin, wrinkles and all.
One thing I wish I’d known, is to be yourself. Don’t try to be someone you ain’t. It takes too much energy, and it ain’t worth it. Just be you, and the right folks will stick around.
Now, them fancy folks, they got all sorts of advice for men over forty. Live this way, do that thing, blah, blah, blah. I say, find what works for you. Don’t listen to all that noise. You’re forty, you ain’t a kid no more. You know what’s right and wrong, what makes you happy and what makes you miserable. Stick to that, and you’ll be alright.
Life at forty ain’t easy. It’s got its ups and downs, just like life at twenty or sixty. But it’s your life. Own it. Live it. And don’t let nobody tell you how to do it.
And remember this: Keep movin’, see the doc, love your family, be yourself, and don’t listen to too much advice, especially from them city slickers. You got this.
Tags: [life, 40s, men, health, family, aging, confidence, advice]
