Curious Incidents of a Flailing Mermaid

If we all died at forty...

30-Day Blogging Challenge – Day seven
Prompt: How would you live your life differently if the average human life span was 40 years?


I’ve done so much on my laptop today that my hand feels like it is falling off (no exaggeration). I just had to order a pizza because I was starving but couldn’t bear having to cook. Imagine the torture: medicinal pizza!
I thought I had been really productive. But I’ve just looked at my to-do list and it seems I’ve hardly done anything. Maybe I’ve wasted the day on twitter – highly likely.

So… I’m dying at forty, am I? Hmm okay. To be honest, that’s fine!

I’m currently 29 and I feel like I’ve done a lot. I’ve worked hard but have had a lot of fun too. There are only four big things I haven’t done yet that I think might be quite cool:

- Raised tons of money for charity – I’m always trying to think of ways to do this.
- Studied for a PhD – I could do this. I’ve been offered grants etc. But I don’t think I have the right mind set any more. Anyway, I have an honorary one. This will do for now.
- Publish a book. I’ll work on it.
- Get an MBE. Probably never going to happen. But, if it does, remind me to put a straw in my bag! From experience I know that the palace doesn’t have straws. But it does have nice wine. I’d hate to miss out on it again.

Yes, I know, I don’t want much. Aim high, people. Aim high!!

If you’re giving me ten and a half years til I’m dead, I reckon we’re okay. Even if I knocked off two of the “big four”, I’d be satisfied.

You’re asking me if I’d do anything differently, right?

Naaaah, I don’t think so. Seriously. Maybe I’d say, “get a decent education earlier”. However, going through years of failure taught me valuable lessons that I am, now, grateful for.

But if we were all going to die at 40, that would be a different matter. The world would run in an entirely different way.

If the average human life span was 40 years, there would be:
• Less emphasis on years and years of education.
• More teenage pregnancy (there would need to be)
• Cheaper… everything, because there would be no time to save.
• Less home ownership
• No letters from the queen when people hit age 100
• No time to answer meaningless blog prompts
• Little time for anyone to write any books
• No state pension – probably
• More crime

Basically, we’d be screwed so it is probably best not to think about it!