In My Prime

Today, I turned 29. I would like to think that this age is what people are referring to when they say "your prime" since it is the last prime number under thirty. Of course, when I turn 37 I will likely argue that 37 is your prime since it's the last prime number under forty. Anyway, turning 29 has been somewhat of an interesting experience. A few days before my birthday I started getting senior citizen phone calls. "Senior Citizen, you too can have peace of mind with your very own personal Life Alert system!" "Did you know you might be eligible for a motorized chair with no out-of-pocket expense?" These calls made me a little nervous. Was my body going to promptly fall apart as soon as I turned 29? So far, the answer is "no". I have survived an entire day of being 29 without serious physical incident. I did trip once today, but it did not end in a broken hip nor did I utter the words "I've fallen and I can't get up."
Since it was my birthday, I decided that I was not cooking breakfast and that I may as well spoil myself with a day of really terrible eating. After all, based on those phone calls, I was expecting to keel over at any minute anyway. So, I did the unthinkable and took all of my boys to McDonalds for breakfast. I don't know what it is but I have a guilty pleasure relationship with McDonald's sausage egg mcmuffins. I eat one about once a year. Mmmmm. So, there we were at our neighborhood McDonalds; the four boys with their yogurt parfaits and chocolate milks and me with my mcmuffin and orange juice. I noticed a gentlemen looking over at us. Finally, he approached our table and we had the following conversation:
"Miss, I am sorry to bother you, but I keep lookin' over here and I just can't wrap my head around it. You don't look a day over twenty and are all these kids yours?"
"Yes sir, they are all mine."
"I am sorry to pry, but can you just tell me how old you are? It's kind of making me crazy."
"Sure, I am actually twenty-nine."
"Well, you go ahead girl! You just got one o' them faces. You like Dick Clark or something. You just timeless. You have a good day now."
"Thank you! I hope you have a great day also."
I wasn't sure exactly what to think about this interaction. I was flattered that I looked like I was 20, but wasn't sure if I wanted to be like Dick Clark. I have nothing against the guy, but he's, you know, a man and I am not. However, after a quick review of Dick Clark photographs, thank you IMDB, I see what this guy meant. Dick Clark really aged well. I think even if I look exactly like him as an 82 year-old that would be pretty good. I am choosing to take the whole conversation as one big compliment. Thank you, random local McDonalds customer. You've helped me to believe that perhaps I am not becoming a senior citizen after all. I can now enjoy this next year of being in my prime.