This past Wednesday, January 11, 2012, I turned 35. In some ways, I still feel like a 20 year old. In other ways…I feel a bit older than 35. It goes without saying that my priorities have changed over the years. Still, it’s the ways in which they’ve changed that have surprised me the most. Here are some of my most brutally honest confessions of growing older, whether you think 35 is old or not.

• Avoiding beer – Yeah, this is pretty honest. I love beer, but it really gives me gas. Laugh all you want, but after spending a few nights in the guest bedroom because your wife sent your stinky ass into exile, you’ll make different choices too! Wine is now my drink of choice.
• Being diabetic – I know not everyone deals with this, and it touches younger people too. Nonetheless, I was diagnosed in July of 2011, and it hit me like a tone of bricks. This is truly something that makes you come to terms with your own mortality. Bottom line…take care of yourself.
• My Father-in-law passed away – My father-in-law was a man of great intelligence. He was a book editor for most of his professional career, and he was very good at what he did. My parents are still with us, but it really hit home that those in our lives are not with us forever. Really cherish them. Don’t wait until you’re 35 to appreciate that.
• Alabama won the National Championship – This was really great. However, I must make an important point. My life hasn’t changed, at all. The same would have been the case if LSU had won the game. As much as I love college football, my life really doesn’t depend on the whims of a football game….for better or worse.

My lessons in life haven’t ended. Really, don’t we learn until the day we die? Next year will be number 36. I’ll let you know what else I’ve learned then.