No, not just birthdays with two numbers, I’m talking birthdays with the SAME two numbers. Like, say, 44.

I’ve always liked patterns in numbers. Like when the clock reads, “12:34,” or “3:33.” I don’t know why, but this gives me satisfaction. So, turning 44 last week pleased me . . . numerically.

And, in honor of double digits, I thought I’d share a few things I’ve learned about aging since I was 33.

• Somewhere in the mid-30s, you stop noticing that you’re aging, but the people around you–man–what happened to them?!?
• As you approach middle age, children begin to grow up at the speed of light. A ran into a friend I could swear I saw a year or so ago and his oldest (a mere toddler in my mind) is in COLLEGE.
• You realize if you haven’t lost the belly bulge by now, you’re just not going to. And hey, if you stand like this, it’s not even that noticeable.
• There’s always someone “er” than you. Older, younger, fatter, thinner, richer, poorer, smarter . . . you get the idea.
• Nothing of interest happens after about nine or ten in the evening. And if it does, you aren’t that interested.
• You wonder what kind of lunatic you were for ever refusing to take naps.
• You no longer care how old your friends are. Remember high school? You’d meet someone new and ask their age within the first five minutes. It was SO important.
• You find yourself volunteering your age in hopes someone will say, “No way! Really?”
• No one within a decade of your age is any good at guessing anyone else’s age and yet, you love it when they’re amazed at how old you are.
• You realize your grandmother was right. The older you get, the faster time passes.

So how about you? What have you learned as the double digits creep on by?