Five Lessons from Life So Far

2. Growth doesn’t stop at the end of childhood, thank goodness.

At 40, I finally felt I could handle just about anything that came my way.

At 50, I quit caring so much what others thought of me.

My friends in their 70s say their lives are the best yet, and they wouldn’t go back for anything, despite the physical ailments they are managing. They give me hope for the future.

So I’ve developed a tentative theory that life gets better with each decade. It might not always hold true, but I feel absolutely confident when I tell any teenager who will listen, “These are NOT the best years of your life.”