getting older

I'll be turning 29 in about a week. I think feeling old is usually reserved for the 30th birthday, but for some reason I am experiencing that feeling a year early. I've noticed more lines around my eyes lately, and more grey hairs. After sitting cross-legged in the floor for a while to play with the kids, my right knee aches when I straighten it back out. I think the skin under my chin is sagging a little bit...from weight or age, that I don't know. Mentally, I picture myself about how I was at age 21. That explains the small shock when I look in the mirror and realize that I do not exactly look 21 anymore. I like to imagine that I would be able to easily pass myself off as a college student. A high schooler, even! If the CIA needed spies to infiltrate high school campuses without causing suspicion...well, I would be ideal. At some point, I am going to have to let that mental bragging exercise go. I need to embrace my changing appearance and abilities. I am a mother of two. I have a body that has been through childbirth..twice! I've nursed two babies for a combined total of 16 months...and counting. I enjoy eating, and I hate exercise. With that combination, I'm actually pretty lucky to look how I do. It could be worse! My face is gaining in wrinkles around the eyes and mouth...probably from smiling and laughing too much. I can't think of a better way to get wrinkled than by leading a blessed and happy life. So, I hope I can appreciate each stage of my life without mourning the loss of what came before. Each stage has its own particular beauty.