Hitting the numbers

With some trepidation, I hit the 40 years-old milestone this week. I didn’t ask for it, it just walked up, introduced itself, and then tattooed itself on my life. No longer do I belong to marketing’s most desired demographic group. Press-Ganey says I’m rigid and not worth the advertising dollars.



In our world, we’re taught to dread when our internal odometer hits 40. ‘Over the hill’ and ‘halfway to death’ comments come to mind. And yet, could I count 40 as lucky? Not all my close friends made it this far. Several would have made fantastic footprints on the planet had they lived to this age.



So, feeling the doldrums and self analyzing if I’ve accomplished anything in my four decade lease on life, the perfect gift came for my birthday dinner at a Bel-Air jazz club. Heidi had taken the liberty of contacting my closest friends and collecting their thoughts and photos for a Ken’s life montage.



At that moment, reading what people think about me from every corner of the world, I realized how deeply I’ve touched some lives. This gift pushed back the self doubts that had whispered in my ear. Suddenly, 40 doesn’t seem like a prison sentence but rather a license to drive faster. Besides, once you’re over the hill you have to pick up speed.



I’m uncertain what life will look like at 41, but I can say that turning 41 minus 1 taught me two things: 1) in the end, it’s the people and relationships that matter, and 2) the tangled skein of my life (US medical doctor turned European consultant) has opened more doors than I could have sensibly planned. So I encourage you to have your own montage to serve as an anchor when seas get rough. This gift will stay on the nightstand reading table for a long time.

~Ken