Our household is growing up! My “baby” celebrated his fourth birthday a few weeks ago, and I’m about to turn the big 3-1. I realize that 31 is by no means old; however, I have noticed a few “special” things that have happened since reaching my third decade. A few wrinkles, a stray grey (or two, or three), difficulty sleeping unless the bed and room conditions are just right… Are you feeling me? Have you been there? Are you there right now?

It’s funny: when I was in my very early twenties I dated a guy who was turning thirty. I thought he had it all figured out… Until I realized that he totally didn’t. I’m now older than he was when we were dating, and I realize that I don’t have much figured out either. But I have landed on a few conclusions about age — some negative, some positive, and I want to reflect on them for a bit.

Things that stink about getting older:

• Stiffness. I always thought that my high activity level would prevent the curse of stiff knees and a sore back, but unfortunately, I’m starting to feel the cricks and aches that can come along with aging joints. I love sitting in tailor pose (i.e. criss-cross-applesauce) — I even sit at the dinner table that way (bad habit, I know). Now, rather than springing up without a care in the world, I have to untangle my legs and shake them out before standing. I can’t imagine how stiff I would be if I weren’t an avid exerciser!
• Creases/wrinkles. When I forget (or in my case, lose) my sunglasses and spend more than a few minutes outside, I get two vertical — and deep — creases between my eyebrows from squinting. After I don my shades (or go inside and stop squinting) it takes at least 4 hours for the creases to dissipate. I know I am just a few years away from these wrinkles becoming permanent.
• Age spots. Blame it on genetics, blame it on the aforementioned problem of regularly losing my sunglasses, but my age spots are coming on strong! The weird thing is that they are in the EXACT same places as my father’s age spots — along my cheekbones and around my eyes. I noticed them on my dad a few years ago… I noticed mine within the last six months. Damn.
• Frisky/Frilly/Feminine Factor Decline. The simple problem is that my cotton briefs (my “granny panties”) are so much more comfortable than the cutesy panties I have stashed in the back of my underwear drawer! I have to make a concerted effort to wear sexy undergarments… let alone a thong!
• Weight “issues.” Admittedly, I have been lucky with my weight (I don’t know if I should call it luck… The reality is that I work awfully hard at keeping my weight stable by exercising daily and eating well). However, I can honestly say that last year, when I turned thirty, my metabolism changed and I had to work a lot harder to prevent my thighs from blossoming and my muffin top from expanding.

Things that rock about getting older:

• Perspective. I have gained a tremendous about of perspective about life since turning thirty (the winds of change were blowing before I turned thirty — I think becoming a mother was a huge impetus for the shift). I still make a bigger deal out of things than I should, I still catastrophize, and I still stress, but overall I find myself taking things in stride more often because hey — it could be worse.
• Experience. Anyone who lives through their teens and twenties is bound to rack up a number of interesting life experiences — I know I’ve had some. Adventures and misadventures, successes and failures, heartbreak and loss and joy and then heartache again. But we move on and chalk up any bumps in the road as one more notch on the bedpost of life experience. My mom once said I was brave… this meant the world to me.
• Connections. I count myself as extremely lucky to have a loving family and circle of friends, both of which have expanded and/or accumulated over time. Through my stints in grade school, high school, two undergraduate programs (which were in two different cities), graduate school, my career as a physical therapist, my career as a fitness entrepreneur, my son’s schooling and activities, and my new life in Germany I have met and loved so many people who each have their own special place in my heart (and I hope I have a place somewhere in theirs). Connections keep people going; they keep us happy, keep us motivated, keep us sane. I hope to continue growing my network as I get older because people are what matter in this lifetime. I’ve learned that.
• Acceptance. In my twenties, I bristled when people referred to me as anxious or “a planner.” Now, at the ripe old age of (almost) 31 I’m still a “type A” personality, still wired, still making lists, and still searching, but the fact that I can freely admit it and not feel bad about it shows definite progress. Growth. And… dare I say it? Maturity.

The passage of time has its downfalls, but in my opinion, the intangible benefits outweigh anything that might be viewed as physical decline. It’s only going to get better from here. Forty? Bring it on.