Last week we celebrated my husband’s 39th birthday; he’ll forgive me for sharing that if I mention that mine will follow in a few weeks. It’s an interesting birthday when you really start thinking about it, and apparently he was spending a bit of time thinking about what it meant to be young.

“I realized something yesterday,” he told me. “You make me feel young, and the kids–as they get older–are making me feel old. So between all of you, I think it balances out.”

“Aww, that’s such a nice thing to say!” I told him. (And then, “Hey, we need to get rid of these kids, making us feel old before our time…” I was kidding. Sorta.)

But since I will celebrate the same birthday soon, I started thinking about youth, age, and what it means to be young. A Facebook friend asked others how they felt about coloring their hair, and most said they were afraid to stop because they’d look older. I stopped doing it some time ago (even wrote about it) and commented, “I figure why let someone else decide what ‘young’ is or looks like?” That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.

What do you think? What kinds of things make you feel young? Have you celebrated a birthday and realized you weren’t “young” anymore? Which one was it? Do you think people should try to look as young as possible, or do you feel that it’s okay to age naturally (gray hairs included)? Do you look forward to each birthday, or do you find yourself celebrating the same one over and over? (I may do as my grandfather did, and stick with 39 until my kids get there!) Please share your thoughts!