A pirate looks at 40… (I turned 40 on April 13.)

(yes, I borrowed a line from a Jimmy Buffet song, but he was looking at 50)

40. Over the Hill. The 5th decade. The best years of your life. It all goes down from here.

I have heard it all. Surprisingly, I was not as spooked about turning 40 as I was turning 30. When I was 30, looking ahead, I thought I would be married, have a few kids, working as a physician somewhere overseas. Well, at least I got the overseas part right!

Every year on my birthday, I go for a long walk, alone, and think about the year, lessons learned, and where I want to go. This year, was an especially long walk, on the beach in Diani, in a light mist. I gained some insight into where I have been, and where I have yet to go. I will share some of them now (but not all…)

First, I am one lucky guy. I have so many incredible things in my life. My family, good friends, my health, a great job, and a sense of peace and happiness I have not had for a long time. For some reason, God gave me the opportunity to serve by becoming a physician, and now I am doing that here in Africa.

Second, I have heard that the older you get, you start to lose that idealism that you had when you were younger. I find that I am still the same idealistic person I was in my 20s. I doubt I will lose that any time soon!

Third, I don’t feel old. I still feel the same way as when I was 30. But, now I have more insight, able to manage my emotions better, and feel like I am more in control of who I am than before. I have noticed that it is a little harder to get out of bed in the in AM (part of that could be due to the fact that I have the most comfortable bed in the world, thanks to the last person in the house, Jim Little, and some ingenuity on my part!)

I have no idea where life will take me in the years ahead. I have learned over the past few years to not have too many expectations. I can’t wait to see what life will throw at me. My 40s will be the best ever!

Amohoro,

Craiger