What You Should Have Learned by Your 40s

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Sunday, October 19. 2014

What You Should Have Learned by Your 40s

Actually, the title is What You Learn in Your 40s

A fine piece by a feisty woman of the world. A quote:

There are no grown-ups. We suspect this when we are younger, but can confirm it only once we are the ones writing books and attending parent-teacher conferences. Everyone is winging it, some just do it more confidently.

She's right about the winging it, but I believe the wings change.

Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss in Psychology, and Dr. Bliss, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 14:33 | Comments (6) | Trackbacks (0)

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Too soon old, too late smart.

#1 GoneWithTheWind on 2014-10-19 16:31 (Reply)

Good stuff. Won't let me copy and paste but I like her take on God.

#2 B Moe on 2014-10-19 20:06 (Reply)

Was it less than two decades ago that I learned this? It seems longer.

These lessons will seem naive soon enough. But however much we tell ourselves that the later lessons are the wiser ones, perhaps it is not so. Being tired and cynical with age is not necessarily discretion and calm. Perhpas we were wisest at 35, or 25. (But not 5. That irritating cliche should be guillotined.)

Though the thought does make me shudder.

#3 Assistant Village Idiot (Link) on 2014-10-19 22:27 (Reply)

It turns out that I wasn’t supposed to spend my 20s frantically looking for a husband; I should have been building my career and enjoying my last gasp of freedom

Freedom from a husband, freedom from family, freedom from children, freedom from…. Well, I guess.

I think I first read “there are no adults” in Gide.

#4 ErisGuy on 2014-10-20 07:26 (Reply)

The longer you postpone children, greater grows the opportunity for children to postpone you.

#5 Sam L. on 2014-10-20 11:46 (Reply)

Tough to trust an article when the author blatantly gets it wrong in the first two paragraphs.

Anyway, I do think it's funny about making this stuff up. I remember being in the parking lot of a grocery store, and reaching to hold my kids' hands. In an instant flashback I remembered being the child and holding my mother's hand, and I wondered if I'd grown up at all.

Lots of times I think I'm just making it up as I go along. But give it a little thought and there is usually a bit of wisdom from experience or logic that accompanies my decisions.

#6 DrTorch on 2014-10-20 13:58 (Reply)

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Sunday, October 19. 2014

What You Should Have Learned by Your 40s