Life Begins at 40, a Picture of Life

Apa sih bedanya umur 40 sama umur 39 (some of us are still 39) dan umur 41 (some of us may be a year ‘more advanced’ than me)? Tidak beda banyak kan? Life is a continuum, so umur 40 sebenernya cuma kelanjutan dari umur 39, dan di perjalanan menuju 41. Lha, kalo umur 40 gak banyak beda dengan umur 39, umur 39 juga gak banyak beda dengan umur 38, dan seterusnya. Jadi umur 40 gak banyak beda dengan waktu kita lulus SMA umur 18-19 tahun? Ya…beda bangett… Malah some of us sekarang sudah punya anak sekolah di SMA, kalo dibilang gak beda mungkin sudah lama kita gak nengok cermin.
Umur 40 memang tidak terlalu istimewa kalo dilihat bahwa tidak banyak beda dengan umur 39 tahun dan umur 41 tahun, tapi bisa jadi istimewa kalo mau dibikin istimewa.. kalo mau dilihat sebagai milestone dari hidup kita…so keistimewaannya ada di pikiran kita, mau gak kita buat jadi istimewa. Istimewa apa sih? Istimewa dalam arti we take a picture of our life at 40, frame it, compare with the previous milestones, and as another picture to compare at our next milestone. Apa sih our previous milestones? Buat gua, the previous milestones were when I earned my Medical Doctor degree, when I got married, and when my first child was born. Those time were the starts of significant changes in my life.
As the 40th birthday passed by, I took a reflection of my life. See what I’ve gone through, see the future years left before I die, and see the present life. Yes, maybe this is right at the middle of my time in the world. I have passed 40 years, maybe I will have another 40 years to go before I die. For the 40 years I have spent, I have tasted the sweetness out of the bitterness. Sounds paradox, but it’s not. It’s just like how good a glass of water tastes when you are very thirsty. I started from ‘thirsty’ condition, and made it through now that I can have maybe not just a glass of just water but ice water. Still a lot to go, still have dreams to be realized. Thank God, that it means life is still challenging.
So, what am I doing at the middle of my life? I have a full variety of activities and a wonderful life. I have wonderful projects full of challenges, exciting personal life, a great family life, and a nice social life like socializing with you all and with my other friends. Personally, thank God I’m healthy, still look young –younger than average look of man at 40-, and handsome (he..he..maybe my mirror is not flat), quite athletic body (just back to gym after over 15 years no sport), but just a little bald –thanks to my testosterone-. Work life, so variety, an employee with freedom, an entrepreneur, a trainer, a lecturer, a medical doctor, a contributor for magazine, a radio talk host. Although I often have to come home late at night for those, I don’t feel bad. The good thing is that I seldom have to set my alarm clock off to wake me up in the morning. I can wake up late and enjoy my morning, since most of my appointment I set at the earliest 9.30am so I don’t have to rush in the morning, except my radio talk that starts at 8am. My family life is enjoyable. My wife is a doctor with flexible time to take care my kids. My kids are so cute and cheerful. When I am home and on weekends, I enjoy the time being together with them. Can’t describe the feeling watching them laugh together, playing with them, cuddling them, answering their amazing questions. It’s just so precious time that not until they went to bed shall I start working again, even sometimes until over midnight, like writing this note. It’s just I feel don’t spend enough time for my mother, whom I love very much, the person that should take all the credits of what I am now, the candle of my life.
I am just taking a picture of my milestone at 40, and share it with you without intention to boast. Hope you have a wonderful life like me, or even better.