Yeah, right. 

I will be turning 41 in a few days.  Turning 40 sucked.  Turning 41?  Pretty much sucks too.  But as they say, it's better than the alternative.

Once you hit 40, there is no escaping it -- you are middle-aged, baby.  And now I finally understand the "Mid-Life Crisis".

It's like juggling. 

In your late teens and twenties, and maybe even thirties, you set certain "life goals" for yourself. Those goals are the "balls."  In your twenties, you finish school and get your career going.  So, your job is the first ball that you have to keep in the air. 

Then, you add the second ball -- maybe that's marriage or simply a relationship or maybe even just owning your own home.  Now, you've got two balls going. 

Then, in your thirties, children -- that's worth at least two more balls.  If you're like me and have an aging parent or parents who need help, that's another ball.

Then, you hit 40 and you feel a little lost because you're not reaching towards anything anymore.  Your life is more about just keeping those balls in the air.

That is when the crisis strikes, and you consider dyeing your ever-encroaching gray hair and buying a black, convertible Porsche Carrera Cabriolet, so that at least you can look good and drive a hot car while you juggle all those darn balls. 

But really, is there any age that is the "golden" age?

Based on what I remember and what I've observed with my stepdaughter, being a teenager is certainly no walk in the park -- hormones, acne, braces, high school drama.

21 maybe?  At 21, I was still in school and living at home.  Money? Well, not much to speak of.  Love life?  Had a boyfriend, but he wasn't much to speak of either in retrospect. 

30?  Living in an apartment but still in early stages of career -- meaning I was working like a dog while being low man on the law firm totem pole.  Broke up with aforementioned boyfriend and had to start dating (!!) again.  

Every age of life has its ups and downs.  Middle-age is maybe not so much about moving forward as it is about learning to enjoy what we've accomplished.  And those balls that we juggle?  Those aren't things that drag us down; they are things that we should value and be proud of.

The moral of this story?

In living life, you gotta have balls. :-)