Goodbye 30's, Hello 40's

In about 20 minutes or so it will be my 40th birthday. When I was a kid I used to look forward to my birthday. It was a day of celebration, of cake, of presents, and of parties. But as I get older I find myself hanging on to the positive anticipation while simultaneously dreading it a bit as well. For a while it was because I would think to myself something along the lines of "what have I achieved in my life?" Now I think I am able to reflect on some things I am proud of and grateful for, most importantly my precious family. But still, if you know me well you know that I am not so fun in the days leading up to my birthday. And I think it's because as I get older I realize more and more how quickly life passes by and how easy it is to take things for granted. I have all these things I want to do and places I want to see, and I think to myself, "Im Lo Achshav Ematai - If Not Now When?" I feel a sense of Carpe Diem and a desire to break out of the routine and turn hopes and dreams into plans and reality.

Of course, big numbers like 40 also make me reflect on health and on getting older. I want to stay feeling young and healthy. I appreciate the wisdom that comes with experience (boy was I naive in my 20's :-) but I don't want to lose my sense of adventure and my joy of exploration and discovery.

Looking back on the past decade of my life, it has been mostly about the blessing of raising 3 beautiful children together with my wife Elisheva. And it has been about finding myself in terms of my career. I feel like I grew a lot as a person in my 30's and there are aspects of my life that I would never have imagined 10 years ago (Twins, being a Principal, living in TX). So now, as I close one decade of life and begin the next, I can only imagine what is in store. I pray for good health for me and my loved ones. I pray for a sense of belonging and that I am making a difference in the world. I pray for the ability to keep learning and growing as a person. I hope to focus more on my health, and to improve my diet and exercise. And I hope to see as many new places as I can this decade. Over the last 5 years or so I have developed a new and unexpected love of maps, geography, and travel. There is an amazing world out there that Hashem created and I want to see it all.

So here's to my 40's. May they be even better than my 30's and may I never take this precious life for granted.