At the end of last month, I turned forty – a scary prospect indeed!
However, I don’t feel any different!

I guess that’s a good thing, I wouldn’t want parts to start dropping off all of a sudden! Mind you, passing such a major mile post did get me thinking and I’ve been ‘taking stock’ of my life. In forty years, I have:

* Visited 24 countries of the world, including Madagascar, Singapore and Burundi.
* Learned to speak five languages fairly well.
* Broken one bone (my left shoulder).
* Had twenty stitches (17 of which are on my head) from 3 accidents spanning 30 years.
* Composed a dozen organ works, several of which are published here.
* Produced three piano albums (see/hear/buy two of them here).
* Lived in 15 different ‘homes’ in 6 different countries.
* Married a wonderful wife and fathered three children.
* Had chicken pox, German measles, mumps (twice), giardiasis (twice) and malaria (7 times).
* Taught French, German, music, English, RE, general studies and…ethnomusicology.
* Never spent a night in hospital (not even the night I was born!)
* Experienced 66 aeroplane take-offs and 65 landings (you figure it out!)
* Weighed a maximum of 200lbs (now 170 or so).
* Owned nine different cars (a Talbot Samba, a VW Polo, two Volvo 340s, an Austin Montego, a Ford Mondeo, a Land Rover Discovery, a Peugeot 206 and a Mitsubishi Montero).
* Learned to play the piano, guitar, trumpet, drums, flute, djembe and (starting) kora.
* Met, chatted to and had lots of fun with 100s of people from roughly half the countries of the world (including Rwanda, Bhutan, Latvia, Jamaica, Suranam, Philippines, Rodrigues, Dominican Republic and Papua New Guinea).

It’s been a wonderful life so far. Even if I died tomorrow (which I hope I don’t) I can be satisfied that I’ve had a fulfilling and rewarding time on thie earth. I thank God for these many exciting opportunities, that’s why John 10:10b is one of my favourite verses!