Forty days to 40...
Day 1

As I approach my 40th year around the Sun, my earth-day or celebration of my birth, I've tried to wrap my head around what that means. Most of us tend to live with expectations of what being a certain age means as far as how we feel, where we should be and what we should be doing. Aside from just "getting older", I've thought about where I'd like being 40 to take me.
I'm reminded of how prevalent the number 40 is in religions and myths. It has been used to represent the passing of time, in many cases with major transformations that led to new beginnings. Whether it be 40 days of flooding, 40 days of fasting, or 40 weeks of gestating in the womb, each scenario brought great change, new beginnings and new life.
One of life's most prominent lessons for me has been that change is inevitable. Conscious, by chance, purposeful or accidental, change is bound to happen. It's just nature's way. When I look at flowers, I'm always reminded that change is not only guaranteed, but that the process can be extraordinarily beautiful. With each phase as we bloom and then wither, we can then bloom again in a new form. As I prepare for 40, I welcome the blooming and the withering , knowing that I'll transform into the next phase of who I am, just as I need to be
Beautifully written. I never thought about the number 40 in such a symbolic way. Thank for sharing this.