Sakes Alive I'm 45!

I remember when I was about 20 thinking that anyone in their 30's was kinda over the hill, someone 40 was probably in need of assistance walking and that someone 45 or older was just old and death must surely be imminent. Plain old old. Youthful perspective tends to skew one's viewpoint in that way.

But here I find myself today having achieved that number. I'm 45. There, I said it. Doesn't sound old. To me. Now. Doesn't feel old either. To me. Now. Except of course for the first 30 minutes of the day while I wait for the ibuprofen to kick in (I've told my doctor I think of ibuprofen as a maintenance drug usually required after about 40. He's only 35 so he doesn't quite agree. I'm willing to allow for his inexperience and give him time. He'll come around).

I consider myself lucky as I'm blessed with good genetics, I exercise and I eat right. So compared to many of my 45ish contemporaries, I'm running around looking and acting a few years younger than that. But that doesn't take the sting out of the comment, "Wow, you look really good for 45." Ouch! How does that translate? More like, "You don't look like one of those worn out, half dead, dehydrated, overweight, saggy guys who are your age." How about just a heart felt, "You look really good." Period. There's no need to go to the"......for 45" part......it really is possible to look good regardless of the chronological number of your years even without surgery or botox.

There are things I'm really liking about this age. I'm a lot more patient than I was a few years ago. I take a lot more time in making decisions and I'm more thoughtful as to the ramifications of the decisions I make. I'm calmer. I'm not as rushed. I'm taking better care of myself physically and spiritually. I find that I have excitement about the possibilities in what I hope will be another 45 years with the knowledge that comes from already having 45 years of experience. under my belt. It's a good place and time.

The best thing about being 45? I'm only 5 years away from AARP discounts!