35 years + two days

In my teens I wanted a boat instead of children in my adult life. In my twenties I wanted a Harley by the time I hit the big 3-0. Thirty came and went without the Harley. Three months later I got a baby.

Friday, upon turning 35, I was reminded that someone knew better than I what it was I truly needed. And as the years mount up in number, I'm even more aware of the surprises to be found and the lessons to be learned.

My patience, a continual work in progress, is far greater now than it was two decades ago. My appreciation of the simple things around me has grown beyond what it was ten years ago. My ability to identify what is real has been dramatically honed in the last five years.

I'm convinced neither a boat, nor a motorcycle could have helped me learn these things. And closing in on forty, there's nothing on my wish list. I've got everything I want.