Thirty WHAT???

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Jen Johnson

A few years ago, I made a list of things to do before I turned 40. Of the fifteen things on the list, I’ve done exactly three, and I’ve actually done the opposite of “not be in the car when my stepchildren learn to drive.” Lord have mercy.

Yet I turned 39 this week anyway and I have one more year to do everything on my list and everything else I want to do in life ever. Or at least it seems that way. When you’re in your twenties, you’re young. When you’re in your thirties, you’re still young plus you have some experience at the rodeo and, hopefully, more confidence. But when you’re in your forties, you’re middle-aged. You’re no longer eligible for “40 under 40” lists or conferences aimed at leaders under 40. No one does “50 under 50” lists because there’s nothing noteworthy about doing something significant by then. You’re supposed to.

But I don’t feel like I’m doing anything significant, just between you and me and the Internets. I’m writing. I’m reading and trying to think about what I’m reading. I’m updating websites. I’m working at really listening when people are talking. I’m grocery shopping and changing sheets and going to track meets and sitting white-knuckled in the backseat while Miles careens the Pennsylvania turnpike. I’m resonating with what one of my friends emailed me recently: “I will pray for you because otherwise my prayers would be entirely made up of ‘Oh Dear God, I thought my life would be a whole lot easier than this.’” I’m praying for her, for the same reasons.

The tidy feel good-ish ending to this post should be something about how those are the significant things and that the real rewards are to be found in enjoying the journey. Maybe that’s true. Or maybe I just don’t hustle enough and it’s time to step up and start making more of a contribution, start being more intentional about who I want to be and what I want to be about. Maybe that’s true, too. I’m not sure, but my new “do before 40” list just has one thing on it: figure out what’s next.

Photo (Flickr CC) by Moyan Brenn

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Jen Johnson

Featured Storyteller

After years of event planning and business reengineering, Jen realized she didn't actually want an office job and instead started a freelance writing and editing business in 2007. She hasn't starved, and she's had the opportunity to work with great organizations like The Los Angeles Dream Center, XXXChurch, Visioneering Studios, and The Association of Related Churches. Today she lives with her husband Matt, his two teenagers, and a really big dog in the Philly suburbs where she continues to write, pursue a seminary degree, and stay up too late.

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