41 Has No Script

What another birthday taught me about healing, identity, and the freedom of carrying less.

One of the weird things about birthdays is that we think they should feel different than every other day.

There is a cultural script for the milestone birthdays.

• At 18, you’re supposed to become an adult.

• At 21, you gain access to another world.

• 30 supposedly announces the end of youth.

• 40 arrives carrying everyone’s projections about midlife, success, r…