As I wrap up my 40th year, Lolita is just beginning hers. I can assure her that there’s really no difference between 39 and 40. You still feel like you’re 17 on the inside, even if the outside doesn’t seem to agree. Then again I just ran my first marathon at 40, and I probably wouldn’t have been able to at 39, so maybe things do get better with age. Here are my wishes for her for the coming year:

May her green thumb blossom, both for her garden as well as for her houseplants. May her time with her children be fun as well as good for them, especially when she treats them like dogs and takes them out for a daily walk. And may her depressed times be fewer especially if she can chill out too.