38

Today is my birthday!  I am excited for 38.  On a recent run, I debated with myself whether or not I was old enough for a mid-life crisis.  I determined that I definitely am.  This was a dramatic realization for me.  There were times in my life when I could not picture growing up.  I am glad that I have.  I have a beautiful, successful, super smart wife (who, luckily for me, is a genius in everything but love), two wonderful little girls, a nice home, a career in which I get to help teens figure out how to better their lives on a daily basis, and so much more.  These were the thoughts that came to me on this run, and several other recent ones.  I came to this conclusion:  I will not have a mid-life crisis.  This may seem to others to be an exercise in futility.  Some may be saying "Everyone has a mid-life crisis.  Jim is just living in denial."  The simple truth is that I am aware that a mid-life crisis is expected and am working hard to not endure one.  Instead, I am enjoying mid-life triumphs.  I have re-dedicated myself to being healthy and happy.  I exercise regularly, pretty much on a daily basis.  I recently enjoyed the pretty big accomplishment of finishing a marathon.  I continue to run and am preparing for future races.  I enjoy life on a daily basis.  Physically and mentally, I am fighting off the crisis which I should, as a rite of passage, be forced to endure.  Please join me.  Mid-life triumphs seem much more beneficial than mid-life crises.  Let's celebrate them together.