One more

My 38th birthday was this week.  One more doddering step towards the cold darkness of the grave.

Birthdays don't actually bother me though.  Especially this one, really.  I know a lot of people get really worried about turning 40, and I am almost there, and there are a few 40 year olds who are desperate to tell me about how terrible everything is when you turn 40.

I see it the opposite way though.  I expect my 40s to be super, barring some kind of unforeseen disaster.  This birthday is kind of weird that way because I am in the best physical condition of my life.  I don't feel like I am falling apart, rather that I am getting ever better.

It makes me want to schedule a physical with my doctor.  In the past they always concluded that I seemed generally healthy but when the discussion of exercise came around I was always subject to the Disapproving Face.  Disapproving Face is that thing where the doctor tries to make you feel guilty for having good health genetically but not bothering to exercise to try to maximize it.

I have these weird visions of scheduling a physical, walking in, yelling "I get lots of exercise and am healthy and don't need to be here.  Take Disapproving Face and stuff it.  BOOM!" and running out again.

Maybe even with a smoke bomb to cover my exit, for additional style points.

I assume Disapproving Face is a deliberate strategy used by nearly all doctors, pretty much regardless of how people's physical condition looks.  Might as well try to convince them to do more.

Honestly the doctor probably won't even mind really, though obviously publicly they have to condemn that particular strategy.  It would give them a great story to tell to everyone about their wacky patient, after all.

A big chunk of this is my generally optimistic viewpoint, but it isn't just blind optimism.  The world is getting better.  Check out this video, which sums up a bunch of reasons to think that.  The money quote is "In spite of it all, hope is not misguided."


The world is good.  My life is good.  I had good people come to my place to help me celebrate my birthday, and many more who wanted to but couldn't.  That is a thing to celebrate.  Hopefully my life will also be long as well as good, because I have so many things yet to do.