39 and Feeling Fine

I turned 39 recently. 

It’s simultaneously a minor milestone that does not adequately mark all that I’ve accomplished and overcome, and yet it feels pretty big. 39 marks the beginning of the last year of my 30s. I celebrated it by actually sitting on the couch for hours at a time with my husband and son and then getting some delicious Dim Sum takeout. I needed the downtime!

I have a son who will be 8 years old this fall. We have not completely ruled out having another child. I am young enough and yet… I am old? I am what the obstetric community considers advanced maternal age (AMA). I’m bordering on geriatric. Terrible terms assigned to women who can still be young and vibrant and yet happen to be 35 and over. Did you know that in 2017, the birth rate for women in their 40s actually rose slightly compared to the overall decrease in births for women of all other ages?

I was contemplating the decades of life and comparing them to the seasons and months of the year. I imagine the first decade is very similar to February. Just before Spring, so much potential hiding below the surface, collecting nutrients, getting ready to spring forward. The second decade, the teens, are much like March. Early storms that help build some character and contribute to accelerating growth. Entering into the Spring of life. In our 3rd decade, our 20s, just like April, everything seems like it should be just right. And yet the mornings can be chilly, the fruit is not yet ripe, but with guidance, all the potential is there.

Now I start wrapping up my 4th decade. That sounds like a large quantity of time when I word it that way. As I finish my 30s, I imagine this is just like finishing May. We aren’t quite into the hot and heavy summer. We are still in such an amazing time of year for perfect temps, for tending of the garden and we have so much more of the year to look forward too. It’s not “all downhill from here”. Whether you are 40 (June), 50 (July) or 60 (August) (still hot and happy summertime), we still have so much more to enjoy.

So while I celebrate all that I have done, all that I have made it through so far, I look forward to this coming year and the next decade with a renewed sense of optimism. And then I live in the moment, enjoy my son, husband, family, and friends and find new things to enjoy here in San Diego while I am still young enough to run around and pretend it will be springtime forever. 😉

What season are you in and how do you celebrate it?