When I was about to turn 40 a few years ago, I got in a bit of a pout. I had no reason, really.  I was in good health. I had a challenging and good-paying job. I had great friends and a wonderful husband. Life was pretty fantastic. But something about turning 40 really bothered me.  And then, it happened. My birthday came and went. I was 40. Turns out it wasn’t so bad. And, thankfully, within a few days, I snapped out of my funk and returned to a happy place.

I was in the car with one of my clients recently. We were on the subject of age, and she told me how glad she is to be 86. I was speechless (which almost never happens).

She can’t move as quickly as she once did. Her eyesight is failing. She needs help maintaining her impeccable yard and cleaning the monster house that she and her husband built in the 60s. And yet, here she is telling me about all of the things she gets to enjoy … the fact she’s still in her own home; that she can watch her favourite sports teams at her leisure (she especially loves the Blue Jays, the Toronto Raptors, and, of course, the Riders); that she can still fit in to the beautiful clothing she bought from a local shop in 1990!

It was just what I needed to hear. If an 86-year-old can be so glad about her age, how ridiculous was it of me to dread 40?! Completely ridiculous.

She gave me a new outlook on aging and birthdays … Look at the positive. Be joyful about my age. Embrace each and every birthday, no matter the milestone. Heck, the bigger the milestone, the better! My birthday’s rolling around again next week, and I say bring it on!

What’s enjoyable about your current age?