Why It's Good to be 39

Here are a few reasons why I like being 39:

1) I don't think everyone in a room is talking about me when I walk in.

2) When my husband is upset, I figure that's his problem, not mine.

3) I have a lot of experience. I've planned a wedding and funeral and everything in between. I've admitted someone to the hospital, given birth to two babies at home and slept in a hospital overnight after my 3 year old had surgery. I've hosted baby showers and sung at weddings.

4) I realize my worth as a person doesn't depend on how good my hair looks. What's inside my head matters more and I know that now.

5) My life is turning out all right. All that worry in my teens was for nothing.

6) Not much surprises me. I am no longer devastated by people's betrayals or shocked by their downfalls. I've seen a lot.

7) I've been thin and I've been fat and though thin is better, I'm the same person inside. I am not my body. I'm just inside here.

8) I have learned from experience. I know how to make mashed potatoes and how to iron a shirt and how to get a company to send me free diapers.

9) I don't care what people think. I trust my own judgment.

10) Being 39 is better than the alternative. My dad died when he was 47. Time is short. I am grateful just to be alive.