40

  

This was a piece written in March 2020 for an inevitable and, I suppose, somewhat unfortunately milestone... turning 40!
It talks about how being 40 isn't all bad and that the 40-yr-old version of me is, in many ways, much improved.

40

His slim 32-inch waist gets paunchier day by day

His thick black mop of hair is sporting 50 shades of grey
He wakes up way too early; hates to get out of bed
He looks like he needs diets; he looked distinctly unfed

Calmness doesn’t come with age; his frustration seems to grow
One would think he’d learn to accept things beyond his control
They say with age comes wisdom, but that seems a fallacy
Despite this 'wisdom', he thinks, "the kids don't listen to me."

They frown, roll their eyes at him more than other kids he's met
“It has been 4 years, Appa. Why don’t you know German yet?”
Despite all this, the wife still loves him more than he deserves
But deals with him by dipping into her ‘patience’ reserves

His life’s a work in progress. That seems a strange thing to say
For it appears he has been here 40 years and a day
40 years have brought battles; he has many wounds to lick
He's won and lost a few but doesn’t easily unstick

There is much joy in battle, many insights to be had
And all things put together, the great war has not been bad
How does this man compare to the kid 20 years ago
After this passage, 20 years, what has he got to show?

The 20-yr old youngster, he hears voices in his head
The 40-yr-old cares less for what others did or said
The youngster's stomach butterflies, they do backflips in fear
In trouble, the 40-yr-old calmly shifts up a gear

A challenge will present itself, he’ll tell himself “C’mon”
And then the little doubting voice inside will soon be gone
Through sheer bloody-mindedness or muscle memory
He’ll drag the 40-yr-old through and feel like 23

He'll smile his dimpled smile again; the dimples have filled out
A smile of satisfaction, he's still got it, just about...
He'll sit back and realize, his achievements are not small
Awesome wife, amazing kids, he's so glad he's had this all

Life's a journey analyzed with the benefit of space
The 40-yr-old knows and does a simple fact embrace
Analysis can wait, there's still so much of life to see
The reason I know this, is 'cos that 40-yr-old's me.