Self-Preservation

When do we feel that we have reached mid-life? Do we take the average life expectancy and halve it or do we just know it?
Many may use the standard yardstick - or at least the big FOUR-O as the marker - for the male gender, that is supposed to be THE turning point year - I have no clue about what it does for women. I guess I'm not what the market would label, average, normal or even 'most women' - therefore, even if there was a 'standard' reaction, I probably wouldn't fit either.
I remember my forty-something friends and how they reacted, waking up to the dreaded marker - some went on a retail frenzy, food, wine and men. It's not always vanity that causes us to behave this way - sometimes, it's just having the need to feel good about oneself. Being needed and wanted is very much part of this equation - be it from service-oriented individuals or using one another to accomplish a common goal - ethics certainly doesn't play a role.
So, don't wait till you are compelled to celebrate something before you stop to think about taking care of yourself. We all need that therapy - it's part of our self-preservation - Egos aside, we need to first appreciate ourselves with all our limitations before we are able to love another being........