There’s something I’ve been keeping a secret for a month now, and by secret, I mean not blogging about it.
*sigh*, so here it goes, *whew*, this is going to be tough. “OK Tony, just take a deep breath, you can do this”
I’m 40!
Wow, when you type it out like that, it really looks like a big deal. Now I know that 40 is the new 20, but let’s be real here, I didn’t feel like this when I was 20.
“So what does it feel like to be 40? Half of your life is gone”
First off, I really hope that isn’t the case, for I look forward to living past 80, so I won’t have my mid-life crisis until I’m like 50 or something. Honestly, it’s not so bad, I don’t feel (or act) like my age, I never have. About 15 years ago I felt like absolute hell, so I did make some improvements. The Mrs. and I are on a gym schedule, and I’m already seeing results, so I’m on the way to being in better shape than I ever was.
“What are your goals for turning 40?”
Well, I’ve already had a big party to celebrate, so that’s out of the way. I’ve begun my journey towards debt freedom. If all goes well, I will only have a mortgage and the monthly bills for 2014.
“Aren’t you going to do something special for yourself?”
I would say being debt-free is something special, but unfortunately, that won’t last long. I’ve decided to get a new car. My 2000 Focus is still running, but she is 13 years old, and it’s been showing for a while. I’ve narrowed it down to two Ford models:
2014 Ford Focus – The previous Foci I’ve owned have been great cars, so this should be no exception. I like the handling and style of the Focus, it’s a good size and has a lot of features for the price.
2014 Ford Fusion – This is my hot blonde, my Harley, my “mid-life crisis” vehicle of choice. There is a very small price difference between Focus and Fusion. I need to take one for a test drive first, but the styling is awesome. I’m really looking for a “big boy” car that I can still drive in the snow.
I know, I’m just getting out of debt, why would I turn around and buy a new car? Easy answer, I’ve been putting it off for years because I’ve been in such a debt pickle. Having two cars in the family will be a good thing for us, and since the other one will be paid off, this one won’t be much more, so we’ll still be saving tons of money every month. The old Focus cost me $1600 this year just to make her legal for inspection, I don’t want to run into that surprise every year.
The added bonus of a new car is, I’ll actually start taking better care of them. I used to spend half a day waxing and cleaning my car when it was new, in a way it was therapeutic, so that would be nice to get back in the habit.
All in all, 40 is just another number, it wasn’t like the morning of my birthday everything changed, we humans mark milestones, not our bodies. The only impact it made on me was a reflection on the past 40 years of my life, and what I can do to make the next who knows how many years better than the first.
So to celebrate my birthday, I’ll leave you with my latest music addiction: