It's amazing to me that on the surface, it appears as if youth rules all. They are the key demographic, the sexual ideal, the movers and the shakers. But while they're feverishly moving and shaking and running around trying to get laid, guess who's actually, REALLY having fun?

That's right, the 40's. It's not really a secret, it's just that when you're young you don't want to hear it. You think you know it all and you own the world, so you assume that the 40-something gal with the big grin on her face is probably just stupid, or on meds.

That just makes me grin more.

Listen up kiddies: I don't have to be cool anymore. Do you have any idea what a waste of time and energy being cool is? Well, I'm done with it. I can listen to any music I want to, wear any kind of clothing, read any book, watch any movie.... and nobody cares. They already assume I'm not hip or cool because I'm "over the hill". Not only that, I couldn't possible care less what others think about any of it. The irony is that as a result of all that attitude, I'm instantly cool.

I don't have to be intelligent anymore. My memory is fading, I'm no longer driven to know everything, and I just don't put the importance on it that I used to. Now, though, I have this wonderful thing called wisdom that you can't get from any book. Young'uns, don't even bother thinking you "know" more than me. Besides, now that my eyes are going, I get to put on my glasses and have that "smart look". Adorable, isn't it?

The cutest part is that now all that time I used to put into being cool and smart is going into taking better care of myself. Women, especially, go through an awkward stage at around 32 or 33 when they no longer have that glow of their prime breeding years. Until they figure out that it now takes some effort to look attractive, it can get pretty grim. Phew, thank goodness I'm done with that!

Perhaps the most liberating thing of all is what has changed in the relationship department. Now that the haze of the mating drive has finally cleared enough, I can look around at prospective partners and make smarter choices. Don't get me wrong - a hot young stud with that driven, hungry look is still enough to catch my eye, but unlike the insecure 20-something I used to be, the 40-something person I am now doesn't care if he doesn't return my gaze. Youth, in and of itself, doesn't attract me. I'm free to see people for who and what they are, minus all the filters installed in service of the almighty prime directive.

Turning 40 has been like getting let in on a big, hilarious joke, and it keeps getting funnier. Obviously when you get right down to it, it's just a number, and some people get the joke sooner while some never get it. I'm just really grateful to be here, really happy to be able to celebrate these days with my peers, and I wouldn't go back to my youth for anything.