# Dopers! Tell me what's good about turning forty! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 12, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719 "2003-05-12T16:24:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/1 "2003-05-12T16:24:34Z")
Yep. In three months I hit the Big Four Oh, and it’s been on my mind a lot. I keep subliminally thinking things like: there’s some kind of mistake… I don’t deserve this… just when I’m getting my act together, it’s too late to take it on the road… my chances at the dating game, especially if I want to meet someone and someday have kids with them, will be nil… Okay, I grant that a lot of that’s just my inbuilt negativity talking. One friend said the the forties are the best time, because you get to do what you want to do… So… what _are_ the good things about Turning Forty? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/2 "2003-05-12T16:29:03Z")
Ummm . . . We’re that much closer to the peace and serenity of the grave? It’s Monday morning. That’s the best I got. —46-year-old Eve ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/3 "2003-05-12T16:34:18Z")
You know you didn’t die at 38. It’s divisible by 10 and 4. Now you can buy that Trans Am you’ve always wanted without having to explain why. You can start dressing for comfort-- knee-high sox and sandals and elastic waistbands are _cool_. And the very best thing about you turning 40 in three months is that it makes you older than me by four whole months!!! ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/4 "2003-05-12T16:34:34Z")
Oh, pah. I’ve been forty for months now. It’s just another date. I suppose people who don’t know me very well look at my age and imagine that I’m a mature and responsible individual. But that’s the only difference it’s made. And I’ve been doing a whole lot _better_ at the dating game lately, but I’d ascribe that just to luck, rather than my age. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/5 "2003-05-12T16:44:04Z")
Technically it’s the last year of your thirties, so you’re not officially in your forties yet. It’s the last carefree year you’re going to have. It’s when you hit forty-one and the warranty on your body expires that you really need to worry about. –43-year-old Dr. Rieux:D ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/6 "2003-05-12T16:44:04Z")
You’re younger than me! Remember, after 40, it’s patch, patch, patch. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/7 "2003-05-12T16:47:21Z")
Well, from my perspective, one of the best things about turning forty is that you’ve still got ten years to go before you’re fifty. 🙂 Seriously, during my forties I came to feel that I’d finally started to be pretty good at what I do and was finally seeing my choice of career become rewarding. It was also during my forties that I became accepting of the fact that life was probably going to work out such that I’ll not be a parent. Cruising into middle age saw many of my anxieties about what path my life would take melt away. I remember having a conversation with **Scotticher** at a Dopefest a year or so ago during which it occured to me that, while I hope to put in a few more frolicking decades, I could probably come to grips with imminent death, because I feel like I’ve already lived a life. I hope that makes sense. As my then ~85 year old stepmom said when listening to someone moan about turning 60, “What’s he bitchin’ about? He’s still got 20 or 30 years left!” ---
**Author:** ![Qazzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/aeb1de/32.png) [@Qazzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qazzz)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/8 "2003-05-12T16:48:27Z")
You’re a fifth of the way to 200! ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/9 "2003-05-12T16:48:29Z")
Oh yeah,…Happy Birthday! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/10 "2003-05-12T16:51:46Z")
Forty was a breeze for me! Everything is good about the 40s. I think most women look better in their 40s. I dunno, their faces gain a certain degree of character. The career chase can slow down a bit. The kids are growing up, offering you more freedom. You can afford stuff that you couldn’t ten years ago. It’s all good. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/11 "2003-05-12T16:54:33Z")
Maybe you’ll get gray hair, and the chicks will call you “distinguished”. Sorry, that’s all I have. Coldfire (30, with the odd gray hair already) ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/12 "2003-05-12T17:38:48Z")
For me, the 40s have been the best decade of my life by far, not that the 20s or 30s really sucked, but everything seemed to take a turn for the better just after I turned 40. I think I am more relaxed and more sure of myself at 42 than when I was younger. And besides, I met my [sub]young hunk of a[/sub] husband the year I turned 40. So no matter what you think, it isn’t too late. ---
**Author:** ![Jane\_D\_oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/839c29/32.png) [@Jane\_D\_oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_D_oh)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/13 "2003-05-12T17:40:58Z")
Wrinkles, yeah that’s it, wrinkles are whats good about turning 40. And the insomnia that comes from being woken up by a hot flash - yeah, that’s good too. And the profuse sweating every time I even **look** at alchohol. Yeah, that’s a laugh riot. And let’s not forget the increase in the number of people who call you ma’am, yeah, that’s like really cool. And the fact that my tattoo turns 20 this year is just an added bonus!! But really, 9 months into 40, I gotta say that I am feeling for the most part ok about it. I admit to being 35 in public and if people don’t believe me, they at least don’t question me on it. I enjoyed my 20’s and the fact that I was a wild woman then. I enjoyed that my 30’s were filled with some great travel and some great sex and some good relationships. I know that my 40’s will be filled with tons of new stuff for me and despite the fact that I don’t feel 40, my 20’s and 30’s have prepared me for some good stuff (I hope) and I am looking ofrward to living my 40’s on my terms - which in part means remaining 35 for as long as possible. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Contrary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@Contrary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrary)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/14 "2003-05-12T18:01:06Z")
Well here’s what I tell my friends as they approach 40 – welcome to the rest of your life 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/15 "2003-05-12T18:04:38Z")
The good thing about turning 40 is that it beats the alternative. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/16 "2003-05-12T18:14:43Z")
How do you know? ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/17 "2003-05-12T22:03:06Z")
If you’re female, real soon you won’t have to worry about all that completely irritating menstrual cr@p, or birth control. Yee-hah! And as for as the side effects of menopause, there are drugs for those. There has never been a better time to be 40+. Or 50+. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/18 "2003-05-12T22:45:09Z")
I’m only 32, but I would think that the best part of turning 40 is that people are more likely to believe you when they ask your age. You will probably get a lot less “39, right…” looks. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/19 "2003-05-13T10:58:43Z")
You can now officially berate smartmouth young men by saying “Young Man don’t YOU sass me”!!! And you don’t sound fakey doing it. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719/20 "2003-05-13T11:18:03Z")
It’s just a number. Y2K is just a number. Hell, I got back in to playing in a band and writing songs again after not doing it for nearly 10 years. The good thing is, Im writing louder, faster music than I did when I was younger. Go figure… An Arky 40.20821917808219178082191780821918 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-tell-me-whats-good-about-turning-forty/174719.md?page=2)