I remember teasing my dad (with my mom's help) when he turned 40. We went up on the flat roof of our house so we wouldn't make a mess, and decorated a matching pair of t-shirts. Dad's shirt had a hill labeled 40, with a decrepit stick figure man leaning on a stick tottering down the right hand side. At the top were written the words, "Over the Hill". On Mom's shirt, the stick figure, complete with long hair and a skirt, was waltzing up the left hand side of the 40-hill, and the label was "And a Long Way Off". My parents wore those t-shirts as pajamas for years, well after Mom was officially over that particular hill. I didn't really think of them as old, but it was fun to tease.
There are stories about people who try to avoid admitting their age. I've often repeated the joke about the woman who, while under oath in a court of law, is asked how old she is. "Thirty-nine and some months," she replies. "How many months?" Silent calculations, then, "One hundred eight."
But I am not ashamed to admit my age. I've done a few things to fill up those years, and they have all molded me into the person I am today. I've lived in 12 cities in 5 countries. I have a bachelor of science degree from Caltech, but I earn money giving private violin and piano lessons. I drove a car into a tree 16 years ago and spent 6 weeks in a wheelchair, but now I run at least 22 km every week. I will have been married for 17 years in July, and my oldest child will be 16. I have seen God do some powerful work in my life and anticipate his continued transformation. 40 years is not too long for being who I am.
There are stories about people who try to avoid admitting their age. I've often repeated the joke about the woman who, while under oath in a court of law, is asked how old she is. "Thirty-nine and some months," she replies. "How many months?" Silent calculations, then, "One hundred eight."
But I am not ashamed to admit my age. I've done a few things to fill up those years, and they have all molded me into the person I am today. I've lived in 12 cities in 5 countries. I have a bachelor of science degree from Caltech, but I earn money giving private violin and piano lessons. I drove a car into a tree 16 years ago and spent 6 weeks in a wheelchair, but now I run at least 22 km every week. I will have been married for 17 years in July, and my oldest child will be 16. I have seen God do some powerful work in my life and anticipate his continued transformation. 40 years is not too long for being who I am.
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