I just turned 50! And I have five thoughts on this milestone birthday.

But first, I have some news: we’ve sold out of tickets for our luncheon to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Bright Line Eating. They went fast! But, if you are within driving distance of the Rochester, NY region, we invite you to join us for a book signing from 2-4 pm on Sunday, August 4th, at the Barnes & Noble in Eastview Mall in Victor, New York.

So, my first thought on turning 50: I am SO excited about it! Part of the reason is a book I’ve read several times: The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50, by Jonathan Rauch. I highly recommend it, no matter what your age.

It explains the science of happiness over the lifespan, and his descriptions match my experience. I was so dissatisfied throughout my 40s. I had an amazing life, but I kept looking for something more. Now, at 50, I look around, at the very same circumstances, and think about how good I have it. The book explains that. It has to do with your expectations, and how life finally starts to exceed your expectations after you hit 50.

Another factor is this: I feel young at 50, but I felt old when I turned 40. I think it’s because of my comparison group. At 40, I was among the oldest of the young adults. Now, my comparison group is older adults, and I’m among the youngest of them.

My second big takeaway upon turning 50 is this: I feel like I know myself so well. I’m not saying I have nothing left to learn, but now I know what makes me tick. I know how to take good care of myself. I feel like I have the owner’s manual for Susan Peirce Thompson. That’s priceless knowledge. And it keeps me from wishing to be younger.

Third, having said that, I feel like I’m at the age where the warranty has expired on my body. Sometimes it’s not so easy to sit down and get back up. It hurts a little. The commitment to taking care of my body has entered a new phase: nothing is free. I won’t be agile and healthy unless I take care of myself. But I also have the ability and willingness to do so. I swim. I lift weights with a trainer. I do Egoscue exercises and shoulder exercises most days. And, of course, I’m Bright so I’m eating immaculately.

And here’s something I’ve been wanting to share with you for a while: I have found the best face cream. I don’t get any money from the company, I’m just sharing this for free. I found out about it a year ago when listening to Harvard professor David Sinclair’s podcast called Lifespan. It’s about the science of longevity. He talked about cells becoming senescent—they lose their sense of what they’re supposed to do.

He described how some researchers tested 20,000+ peptides on human skin to see which would eliminate the senescent cells. They found a few and put them in a product called OneSkin. It’s amazing. I use the eye cream for my whole face and neck and wow is it working. I feel like I’m aging in reverse.

Fourth: I’m noticing that savoring time with my family means so much more to me than it used to. This feels like a golden age. My kids have six grandparents because my parents are divorced and remarried. And all are alive and healthy. That won’t be true forever. I know I only have so much time with all of them. And my kids won’t be kids for very much longer. It’s so important to appreciate the love I have for my family.

My final thought is this: It feels like I’ve shifted into an era where service is everything to me. I’ve done everything I wanted to do in my life. I am blessed. All I want to do now is give back—even in small ways. I want to be there with people, and keep myself sane and grounded so I can help others. That’s not an orientation I had five or ten years ago.

So here we are. I just turned 50, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Ticket sales to the Bright Line Eating 10th Anniversary Luncheon are now closed.