4 lessons to 40

Yes boys and girls, I am forty this year. I know I don't look it, but I am. If you've been here a while you already know me, the one writing these lines, little by little you have read my views on life in the past 10 years of blogging, of moving, of changing, of living, so these should not be much of a surprise to you. Still, here are my 4 lessons to 40:

1. Money isn't everything

Yes it is OK to have money to live a decent life, but money should not be a purpose in life. Think about how many experiences you missed while you were gathering money to buy the dream house, think how many things are left undiscovered while you watched your bank account grow, while you slave to gather more money, think about your family, how often you have free fun? I have friends who see things on the opposite spectrum, some have even considered me a hippie, a dreamer. I cherish their views on life, but I have mine. I am fine with sharing a sandwich on a bench at the Belvedere with my husband and Luna, I do not need Michelin Star restaurants with fancy food, I do not need 1000 euros a night rooms at hotels, I am OK with travelling low cost or by car and I gather experiences, I gather happy memories and not money.

2. There is a gap between you and your parents and that is OK

For a long time it bothered me that my parents did not understand what I did, my choices. For them by now I should have bought my own large house, I would have populated it with 2 kids, I would have a steady job at an office so they could be happy knowing I am secure, somewhere. They lived in different times and experienced different worlds than the one I live in. Do not feel the pressure OR if you are a parent reading this, do not force your child to live the life you dream for him or you dreamt for yourself, but somehow missed it. At some point in life there is a switch and you start to know what is best and not your parents.

3. You are an unique and beautiful individual

Run away from comparisons, stop competing for God knows what! As long as on this earth there isn't another women of forty years, married, who studied journalism and communication, who worked in radio and TV, who lived in Iasi, Bucharest, Dublin and Luxembourg and has a dog, I have no one to compare myself with. Your friends come from different backgrounds, they have different views on life, is it worth comparing with them? Your coworkers are as different from you as it is the Sun from the Moon, you are comparing what exactly? Stop running the rat race and just live. You are an unique and beautiful individual with your own path.

4. Life in not over at thirty, it is not over at forty, not even at fifty, it is not over when you miss an exam, it is not over when you have a breakup, it is not over when you have kids, when you are fired, when you loose someone, it is over when it's over. So enjoy life as it is. Is there more to say here?

And one last thing, DO NOT JUDGE, ACCEPT. Your coworker has different, opposite ideas? Believe me, that is a good thing. The parents of your kid's friend see things different? It is ok. Your friends have changed? Not your problem, find new friends if they start to bother you. Do not judge others, you will only loose time and you will only fill your brain with wrong ideas. Accept.

And guys, I don't feel a day older than 18 even though I am twice that age. Age is just a number, don't let that number define YOU!