Does Life Really Begin At "40"

[Lipz]

Hi i keep hearing that life begins at 40 but is this just said by liars or optimists as surely once you get to 40 life goes down hill, teeth starts weakening, more and more wrinkles appear, we start losing muscle mass or get fatter as our hormones start declining, sex drives disappear, we start going greay as our hair cells die, the bodies new cell growth starts slowing down, we get weaker, cancers and mutations and our brains start shrinking with many of us developing alzheimers or other brain retardations.

Employers don't want to employ you going for younger sharper candidates, your circle of friends and family shrinks as people start dying and your kids, grandkids become adults and then you really realise that you're not long for this world.

So does life really begin at 40 or are we really fooling ourselves?

[sunny-dave]

Best years of your life - old enough to know better, but young enough to not care :+)

[ummmm]

Life isn't about appearance.

I think the idea that life begins at 40 is because it's an age where we have accepted ourselves for who and what we are. We can enjoy life with an inner confidence that we didn't have in our 20's.

We also live much longer.

[ToraToraTora]

I'd say it begins at 50!

[RATTER15]

Lipz, your glass is certainly half empty!

I think you are determined to let all this crap get to you.

[tonyav]

sex drives disappear,

Speak for your self.

[grasscarp]

At 39 I entered a profession that was completely new to me. It has changed my life completely and I have been all over the world as a result. I may well have a few more wrinkles but I am no weaker, brain and health ok. So I would say that employers do want you. It is now a quarter of a century since I turned 40 and my life is better now than it ever was. Life begins when you are born and it becomes whatever you want it to become IMHO.

[Lipz]

I'm going to be 40 in december and the thought scares me to death, i'm stuck in a boring job, have no real friends and life has became so monotonous that sometimes i think to myself is it really worth carry on but grasscarp for the first time in many years your comments has given me a glimmer of hope for my future. Thank you.

[weecalf]

60 is a good age ,no expectations just happy with you lot yeah looking forward to it

[ladybirder]

I was head-hunted into arguably the most enjoyable job of my life at 62 so that's rubbish about employers only wanting youngsters.

[Lipz]

But doesn't it scare you to physically see and feel your body and brain getting weaker by the day?

[ummmm]

I'm 40 next week and my body and brain are not getting weaker by the day.

[ladybirder]

It's better than the alternative Lipz:-(

[grasscarp]

Glad that I have given you hope Lipz. I also do 2 evening classes, one is a dance class and the other a language class. Always a good way to meet new people. If your life is monotonous it is only going to improve if you make changes. (I used to go to a writers meeting group where we read out what we are currently writing - and that had come from a scriptwriting evening class). There are so many things out there. Hope things get better for you soon.

[Lipz]

"I'm 40 next week and my body and brain are not getting weaker by the day."

Really? So you defy physics do you?

We ALL are getting weaker by the day as cell growth halts and oxidants multiply within our bodies.

[Lipz]

Thank you grasscarp, i'm battling several demons, alcohol, drug abuse, anxiety, paranoia and mental illness and really hope i can make it to the plain you are on one day :)

[ummmm]

It's not something you'd notice daily though.

I can't really notice a difference between now and 10 years ago.

Maybe you're just unfit.

[ummmm]

That would be why you're feeling the effects then.

[grasscarp]

And Lipz brain and body does not get weaker by the day! I have all the teeth I had at 40 and optician does not want to see me again for 2 years. I am not much heavier. Sex drive still there. Take it from us who are older than you and looking back - your anxieties are unfounded. And, I do not have any grey hair (ok one or two hairs but I pull them out PDQ)

[ladybirder]

I didn't really notice anything until 70. That was when things started to disintegrate.

[Lipz]

Do any of you actually feel "Old" or in decline? Is age really a state of mind? Do we get older without really noticing or do we get to a point where we think well i feel old now?