Being 40: Some Things Never Change

Although I have 4 months of BEING 40 under my belt, I'm still not quite an expert. I fear that I won't really get the hang of it or understand it fully until... well, until I turn 41. While I wait for the differences and the changes to reveal themselves in this new decade of my life, there are a few things I know for sure right now. The main thing being that... some things never change.

Here are the top ten things that are unaffected by BEING 40 (in no particular order):

1. I still need ten hours of sleep to feel completely rested. I guess that whole "wake up bright eyed at 5AM and eat dinner by 4" stuff doesn't really start for another 30 or 40 years.
2. I still struggle with my weight but I still see myself as beautiful.
3. Being a strong woman doesn't mean you are unfeeling. My feelings are just as easily hurt now as they were when I was 39.
4. I care what people think and I want people to like me.
5. Women are still catty and mean after 40. I don't think it's something that we, as a race of people, ever really outgrow. And it usually only makes me sad when someone is being nasty to me. I usually don't think about it when I mock someone's silly dress.
6. There are days when I still think I only have 4 good reasons for needing a man: 1) to pick me up at the door when it rains; 2) to share the chores (specifically trash duty & lawn mowing); 3) to lift really heavy stuff; 4) ahem... intimate adult interactions.
7. There are days when I still think all I need is a good man.
8. I still want babies. 
9. I still want my parents to be proud of me. And not just when I am singing in front of thousands of people.
10. People in St. Louis suck at driving. I am the only one doing it right.