One of the most difficult things in life is getting older. Getting older is a cruel and vicious cycle that starts as the height of happiness and ends up in the pits of misery. One day you are a bright eyed 17 year old kid just waiting for the day when you get older so you can do all of that cool stuff you see the adults doing. Then you hit 21 and you start doing all of that cool stuff you used to see the adults doing and you realize that the previous 20 years of your life were a lot more fun than the 21st year of your life. Then you hit 25 and your auto insurance rates drop but you are still on top of the world and life is grand. Then 30 comes up and all of a sudden you find yourself using the phrase “well you are only as old as you feel” and suddenly you realize that aging is a freight train that you have no control over and you better ask that hot girl next door out quick before your hair starts falling out and your beer gut eclipses your belt line. Then you hit 40.

I am hitting 40 this year and my friends are just dying to get me into a bar somewhere, set up a microphone, and take the shots at me that they have been waiting to take for almost 40 years. It was once said that the friends that love you are the ones that are most willing to make fun of you to your face. That is probably true but it doesn’t make it any easier to listen to. A 40th birthday party roast is an excellent idea and it is something all of your family and friends can plan and get involved in. A 40th party birthday roast is the chance for you to hear all of the jokes they tell about you behind your back and the chance for you to stick it back at them. A 40th party birthday roast is a chance for you to find out just who your friends are and how much they care. Most importantly a 40th party birthday roast is a chance for you and your family and friends to have a great time together as you celebrate officially reaching the middle of your life.

Something happens to you at some point in your 30’s and you begin to realize that life is precious. You begin to realize that while it was fun to do all of those crazy things you did when you were younger, it is now the time to savor life and to make sure that you spend the rest of your days enjoying all that life has to offer instead of wondering how many beers it will really take before you are so drunk that the cop that always waits outside the bar to pull over all the other drunk drivers just has to pull you over this time. Life is a very special thing and hopefully you experience enough of it by the time you reach 40 years old to realize that life is also something to be treasured. What better way for your friends and family to help you ring in what could be one of the most important years of your life than with an event that does nothing other than poke fun at the whole thing? A 40th birthday roast is a beautiful thing and if it is done right then it can be an event that everyone will remember for the rest of their lives. By the way, I just want all the 17 year olds out there to know that 40 years old isn’t really that old at all. Just you wait until you get here and you will see what I mean.