Vienna

In 1977, Billy Joel gave us one of his simplest yet most powerful songs: Vienna.

We can imagine a young Billy writing to himself: Hey, slow down. Enjoy the ride. Don’t rush so much.

Cartagena

A few weeks ago, I was wandering through Europe with my brother. One afternoon we sat on top of a hill, looking down at Cartagena. In that still moment, Vienna started playing in my mind.

There I was, forty years old, a bit more weathered by life, still full of questions.

When I was younger, I was sure I’d be wise by this age. But the truth? I’m not. If anything, I have more and deeper questions now.

Why am I always rushing? I asked myself, as Joel’s lyrics echoed in my head.

Enjoyment

During my teenage years, I was so preoccupied with trying to accept myself—and the differences that set me apart from the people I grew up with—that I hardly enjoyed those years.

In my twenties, I was consumed by financial survival. The only thing I knew for sure was that I didn’t want a regular job. I had to do it on my own. I hardly enjoyed those years either.

In my thirties, I was working to build some kind of stable base, while finally learning to accept who I was. I enjoyed those years a little more.

Now, entering my forties, I wonder: Will I finally learn to fully enjoy this season of life?

Timing

About a year ago, I came across a message that struck me deeply:

“People who grew up protected get a head start. They build careers, relationships and stability early, because they didn’t have to spend their energy just surviving. When you had to protect yourself from chaos, trauma or instability, you build your life later. Your twenties might be spent healing what others never experienced. Your thirties might be when you feel safe enough to pursue what matters. But here is the truth: what you build will have stronger foundations. The insights you gained through struggle give you depth others don’t have. Your boundaries are clearer, your values are tested, your resilience is proven. You are not falling behind. You are not missing out. Your timeline looks different, because your starting point was different. The people who had to heal before they could build aren’t late. They are right on time for their own journey.”

That message felt like someone had put my life into words.

People often tell me I look younger than I am, which I take as a blessing. In many ways, I still feel younger too. At forty, I often feel like I’m thirty—just working on a forty-year-old schedule.

Maybe life is being kind, giving me a bonus decade to figure things out.

Reminder

In Vienna, Joel tells us something very important, yet very hard to accept: you can’t be everything you want to be before your time. You don’t need to have it all figured out when you’re young.

Life moves in cycles.

As Carl Jung once said: “Life really does begin at forty. Up until then, you are just doing research.”

Maybe out of necessity, maybe because it’s simply true. Either way, I think Carl—and Billy—were both right.

Vienna waits for me.