The Big 4-0
I remember when my dad turned 40. He was welcomed home by a wheelchair and a cake with a vulture sitting atop a tombstone that read “Over the hill.”
This month, I turn 40, which makes me a geriatric millennial, according to the newest social lingo. Though I am far from geriatric in my mind’s eye.
My dad’s life felt decidedly settled to me as he crested the proverbial hill: wife, house, three kids, career. While I have foregone only the marriage part of that equation, and traded three kids for three dogs, mine somehow feels less so.
Perhaps that is simply because I am living it, privy to all the inner questions, evaluations and decisions that come with adulthood. Or perhaps it is because, in that time, the world has gone through its own evolution, opening up possibilities and paths that have changed the narrative on everything from life expectancy to social outlook.
In our first story below, we asked other “geriatric millennials” for their perspective on what it means to be 40 and what they thought it might look like versus where they are.
In this month’s print edition, we also celebrate 20 standout professionals under age 40. Be sure to check out their profiles at timesfreepress.com/news/chatter.
– Jennifer Bardoner, editor