Age is just a number.
Sure, your back my stiffen up more often
And your joints crack as you get out of bed in the morning. 🦴
But we are truly blessed to have the opportunity to feel pain.
A close friend recently mentioned that “growing old is a privilege denied to many.” 🥹
Touche!
I am honored to have joined the 40 club this past week.
First thought as the day was approaching?
A short and simple…. ICK!
Am I really that old? I guess so…
Our boys like to tease me, “old ass man!”
Just so everyone’s clear, we do NOT encourage disrespecting elders (ick again!)
These playful words can only be directed at Dad in a loving manner…. kind of 🙄
Not only do I get to celebrate 40 years on earth,
I am lucky enough to spend it with my wonderful family and friends. 🫂
Starting with the legacy we will leave behind one day.
3 boys that, undoubtedly, will change the world someday.
We encourage them to strive for limitless potential. 🚀
And who says we as adults can’t have that potential too?
All you need is to believe…
The Childlike Mindset 🧸
Like a kid flying away to Neverland, we CAN stay kids forever.
We must never grow up.
Well, maybe a little bit.
Take care of responsibilities first: Work, mortgage, school, bills, schedules, etc
But once you have those in control, the rest is play time.
As always, there are a few rules to being a kid again (without sacrificing anything!)
Below is our “Secret Seven” rules to live more a youthful life:
Stay Curious - Certainty destroys curiosity. Once you think you already know something, you stop dead in the tracks. Keep an open mind and learn some new things about topics you thought you had sealed in the mental vault. Reopen those cold case files.
Stay Playful - Children are in the “Free trial” timeframe. They chase butterflies, play in the mud, and pretend that the Amazon box is a spaceship. Assume you know nothing and instead start to notice EVERYTHING. Take it all in like brand new information and allow yourself to be surprised.
Try Experiments - Dipping pizza in lemonade? Gross! Only one way to find out… Treat your goals as experiments rather than strict Pass/Fail tests. You’re still pursuing the goal, but approach it with a “let’s see what happens if…” attitude instead of “I must accomplish this no matter what”. You’ll be amazed at the results
Be Present - Kids have no concept of time, and therefore are fully committed to living in the present. Not every moment needs to be filled, not every thought has to be planned. No thoughts of the future nor of the past. Revel in what’s right in front of you, right now and be thankful for the little things. Have purpose in simply existing.
Create things for Fun - Open ended arts and crafts stop in the classroom around middle school. There were guidelines, but to each their own perspective. Nothing was “wrong”. Draw, paint, glue, cut some paper together and use your imagination. Develop something just for silly’s sake, and for nobody but yourself.
Do something you’re NOT good at - Whether it’s been 20 years or 20 days, try that thing you thought didn’t work out for whatever reason. Kids aren’t good at anything to start, but they push through and joyfully keep trying. Don’t be embarrassed, It’s ok to be a beginner at something. Nobody is actually watching you.
Reconnect with old habits - Legos, instruments, sports, games, card collecting… whatever it was, make an effort to return to it. We get busy as adults/parents and leave behind the euphoric past times we thoroughly enjoyed. Revisit THAT thing of your childhood, with no fear of failure and see how your mind responds. Nostalgia at work.
We get so caught up in becoming adults, most of us lose that magic we used to believe in.
The systems have always been there, we just lost sight of them.
They still exist in every one of us.
But it’s up to you to bring that joy out and share with the world.
Have some fun, Gosh darnit!
You deserve it. 👏🏻
Rufiooooo 👨🏽🎤
Stop treating everything like life and death decisions.
Bring back that curiosity and wonder. 🦄
In the cult classic movie “Hook” Peter Pan grows old and builds a family.
Something that most of us have probably done as well.
He stays extremely busy, often missing out on major milestones from his children. 📞
One night, Captain Hook kidnaps his children, (very traumatizing scene!) and Peter gets lured back to Neverland to rescue them. 🪝
The hardest part for him?
Leaving behind the Workaholic Dad mindset and reverting to living like a child again.
Rufio was their fearless leader and yet still managed to have youthful exuberance.
Teaching Peter how to be fierce, powerful and inventive using a spry spirit. 🤺
We all know where the story leads, as it takes Pan days of hanging out with the lost boys to remember what that joy felt like again.
Don’t let the inability of playing suck the spirited fun out of you.
Go ahead and frolic around or skip down the sidewalk.
Who cares who sees you.
Tell them it’s just what the doctor ordered. 🩺
Turning 40 won’t ever convince me that “I’m too old for this”
If anything, I’m going to try more stuff than ever before.
WIthout risking personal injury of course 🤭
For my birthday, I’m thankful for the gift of this life.
Reflecting on numerous moments over time with many of you readers personally.
And for that I am grateful to blow every single one of my 40 candles out. 😮💨
The Next Chapter 🛫
I was 30 years old the year of our wedding.
So, as math would have it, this month is our 10 year anniversary! 🥳
In accordance with living a life That’s B.A. - it’s only fitting that we go BIG.
Viva Italia! ⛪
10 days of absolute bliss in one of the most iconic, ancient places in the world
Starting in Rome, then travelling to Florence/Tuscany, La Spezia/Cinque Terre, and finally Venice! 🛶
We have been planning this trip since February, when we first bought our plane tickets (Smart flight shopping tips coming soon!)
Want to know all the details? Buono!
We will be sharing alllllllll the details, including browsing for Hotel prices, flights, tourist attractions/tickets, trains and all the pasta with prosecco our bodies can handle 🥰
Tune in next week for a glimpse and sneak peek into our agenda for the trip. 🔍
Ciao bellissimo personne! 🤌🏻
Inspirational Quote 👨🏻🎨
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." - Pablo Picasso
