Today is my birthday.

When I was much younger, I loved my birthday. Then I went through an unfortunate phase from about 35 through 40 (which I now consider to have been a complete waste of time and energy and, more unforgivably, cake) when I spent my birthdays thinking about all I had NOT accomplished.

I got over that, happily, and now I’m back to enjoying the day. It does, however, inspire me to reflect on aging and my future. When wandering around on Ted.com one day recently, I came upon this remarkable Ted Talk Jane Fonda gave about her life since 60 and what she thinks we can get out of what she calls our “third act.” It’s profound and positive and has made me think a great deal about how to use my time.

Hope you enjoy it! (And youngsters, feel free to skip this one if you aren’t yet ready to hear about how much fun and satisfaction you can look forward to later in life.) Of course, I can afford to be optimistic. There’s cake in my future!