Thursday 13: Thirteen Reasons I'm Glad I'm Turning 51 and not 15 in Two Days!

Kizo, Ancestress of Abundance, from the Ancestress Series shadow boxes, wood box, polymer clay mask embellished with burlap, rope, cowrie shells acrylic paint and Pearl Ex powders. 10"w x 12"h x 3.25"d. $300

13 Reasons I'm glad I'm turning 51 and not 15 in two days

1. No braces (especially not those old school wire teeth torture chambers I endured)
2. Choosing my own wardrobe, knowing and following my own style (though it turned out Mom was right; hot pants weren't the best fashion option, even at 15)
3. Not caring about what other people think (decided that at 40, reaffirmed it at 50)
4. No homework (though self-imposed deadlines are no picnic either!)
5. Bedtime is whenever I want it to be (though those days of being a "night person" have faded away; not sure what happened there...yawn)
   
6. No boyfriend hassles (my husband is devoutly grateful for that!)
   
7. Long lasting female friendships (couldn't exist without 'em)
8. Knowing how more than half of my life has turned out (I started to say half, but since I doubt I'll live to be 100, changed it!)
9. Appreciating the small moments which make life wonderful (at 15, I was moving way too fast to do that)
10. Learning from mistakes, knowing better and doing better (perspective is a great gift)
11. Looking toward the future with excitement (okay, that was true at 15, too)
12. Being able to guide my son with wisdom gained (she said, hopefully)
13. And, since my son will be 15 next May--eeeeww, how bizarre would that be?!