Apparently, in the "niner years" 39, 49, 59 … we are more likely to make radical life decisions.
Statistically, people whose ages end in nine, known as "9-enders", are more likely to seek extramarital affairs, run marathons and commit suicide. I think I am safe from all three with only half a week to go, but it has to be said, being a 9-ender has made me reflective.
People often ask me how I find the time to write these columns — my creative juices never come when I am sitting at work behind a computer, I always write these columns in my head while walking my dogs or during my awake hours in the early morning. This particular column, I "wrote" whilst driving to a cricket tournament and listening to "road hits". The music took me back through the decades — so here we go — my life in decades.
Decade one — a good Kiwi childhood, with some miserable moments: being banned from playing with the twins after we lit a fire under my parents’ house (clearly an overreaction from my parents) and being grilled by my parents after my school interviews — Mr Kennedy was I really that bad? Some highlights, discovering sport — although my parents still made me go to Saturday music classes every second week. Hockey was a love that grew from my first game. I was introduced to the game by the late Mr McCormack (Lauren’s dad), who had played for New Zealand — lovely first coach. Soundtrack for my first decade Bad Boys by Wham! — to this day, play a Wham! soundtrack and I will hit the dancefloor.
Decade two — the tumultuous teenage years, first love, first heartbreak — I remember leaning against my backdoor weeping at the age of 14 when Jacob and I parted ways. After leaving school I headed up north with my friend Glenda, in her poo brown Ford Avenger — not sure how we made it to the ferry crossing. I barely gave Dunedin a backward glance.
When my eldest son did the same to me, I realised just how cruel teenagers are — I was doing fine, until I hugged him and smelt his hair, then I wept like a baby. Soundtrack for this decade, anything by The Beatles, I went retro for a while there.
Decade three — oh my goodness, a lot happens in decade three, university, more heartbreaks and heartbreaking. Meeting my husband, moving country, getting married and having our first child. This decade is like facing the first 10 overs in a cricket game, the ball swings and seams all over the place — moving to Christchurch didn’t help. Wonderful place Christchurch, but unfortunately full of Cantabrians, it’s difficult to know how they might remedy this. Soundtrack for my third decade, anything by Kate Bush, who I discovered at university. I want Wuthering Heights played at my funeral, remind my husband, who never remembers these things.
Decade four — the crazy busy decade, bringing up three children, running businesses, travelling and going through a tough Global Financial Crisis. The fourth decade was when I started to read more widely, which has been hugely important for me.
That decade also led me to work in Sri Lanka, where I stood on a mountain with a medical botany professor and understood I needed to change my career — Zestt was born. In that decade I became more questioning of the status quo, perhaps it was the impacts of Covid-19, climate change and opening up to learning about Te Ao Maori. We haven’t got things right as a species.
I also lost my father in that decade, so the soundtrack I chose is one of his favourite songs Morning Has Broken.
As I enter decade five, the shackles are freeing. I want greater creativity, in whatever shape or form that takes and I don’t want to be as goal-oriented. I am close to gently raising my bat, the innings is not yet finished, there are flourishing cover drives to come and maybe a Dilscoop, if the knees will bend.
- Anna Campbell is a co-founder of Zestt Wellness, a nutraceutical company. She also holds various directorships.
