How it feels to turn 40

At the end of January I turn 40 and since everyone “warned” me how traumatic this event would be, I did like Harry Potter’s Professor Lupin, I ran away to hide in the mountains. Hey, if the shit has to hit the fan I prefer to be as far away from people so as not to upset anyone.

Okay, the truth is that every year in late January, I give myself a break and go to the mountains. Not because I like skiing, but because I love snow and I love snowshoeing on lonely paths.

I like not meeting a living soul. I like being able to be alone with my thoughts.

I love the bitter cold, the one that makes your cheeks red and your nose drip. I love how the short breath turns into ice crystals.

This year I felt I needed this cold and loneliness even more.

I thought I would feel sad and lost in the aftermath of these 40 years, but it did not happen. Indeed, I felt quite the opposite.

I had fun “swimming” in the snow (because someone underestimated the amount of snow and left the snowshoes at home). But then I “enjoyed” taking a lot of anti-inflammatories, because let’s face it, I’m too old to “swim” in the snow.

I made good use of my birthday present, the Nikon F3! The one and only true reporters’ camera. An iron block built in 1980 (like me), made to resist wars and extreme environments (unlike me).

The pleasure of hearing the click of the mirror, the frustration of not immediately seeing the picture taken, even the metallic smell that lingers on your hands after using it, filled my heart with joy, emotions, ideas.

And then watching the breathtaking sunsets was the icing on my “non-birthday” cake.

I would say I had a good start of the end of my fourth decade on Earth.

When I was 10 I thought turning 40 meant being old. Today … I can’t say I’m young (the meds I had to take to be able to stand upright say a lot about it), but I can say I’m proud to have 40 years of experience, of a intensely lived life.

February had just started and I’m back to work. I am looking forward to getting to know your family, learning how you face these goals.

I am looking forward use my gift and my background to create photographs for you that will be proof of how beautiful real life is. The one where you don’t take yourself too seriously, the one that makes you say “just go with the flow” and “let’s look perfect tomorrow” . The one where whims and laughter, puts and hugs are alternating  each other all day long.

Tell me now, how many of the “posed” or “imposed” moments you (pleasantly) remember from your childhood.

Don’t you think your kids would like to be able to look back and see you and themselves just how you really were?

Give me a call or send me a message and we will have a chat about these memories with a coffee in our hands.

The photos in this post were made by Filippo because as I said before I concentrated on my film camera. And it will take some time before the film sees the red light of the dark room.