Birthday musings

I was busy celebrating my "big" birthday this past weekend. Among other things, my friends Connie and Barbara and I went to the Boathouse Restaurant in NYC for brunch (it was oh so "Sex and the City" right down to Hugh Jackman being just a few tables down).

Thankfully, no midlife crisis here (maybe because I've been having them regularly since my 20s!), but I have noticed that I feel strangely, well, young. Physically, I feel only a little slower than in my 30s and I'm lucky to have few aches and pains. Psychologically, I seem to have settled somewhere around my early 30s, though I occasionally drift down to 16 (mostly in relation to men--I still love a good crush and a good flirt!). Grown-up? I don't THINK so.

But then when does anyone feel like a "real adult?" Are some people just born more adult than others, while others stay forever young at heart? I really have trouble imagining a time when I'll feel like a "mature woman," much less a senior citizen...

Still, I do believe that midlife can be a springboard to your “real life.” You know, the one after you’ve gone through all the stages society says you’re supposed to, like going to college, getting married, having kids, pursuing a certain career track. The one where you get to start doing what you want and being who you want without worrying so much about what other people think.

Now if only the stock market would play nice and let us all get on with these second lives!