This has been a big year. A lot has changed this year. Beginning with my my age; I am no longer 21. Being 21 for the past several years was great but I realise now that, if one is not willing to move forward chronologically, one has next to no chance of, well, moving at all. Age may come before wisdom - and beauty - when debating who should go through the door first but in real life, I think it’s a package deal (the age/wisdom thing I mean; as soon as we figure that out, the beauty thing really is in the eye of the beholder).

And that is why I now need to age, even if just ever-so-slightly. Things really have not gone well for me as a 21-year-old anyway so what, exactly, am I holding onto? Other than having three fabulous children and a cat with his own Twitter account, there are certain areas in my life that could use a serious overhaul (and no, none are related to the fact that I let my cat use my computer).

In the vernacular of cosmetic surgery and all things vain (let’s face it - pardoning the pun - claiming to be 21 for a number of years gives the appearance - pardoning the pun - of having some level of concern over one’s looks), my personal life needs a tad more work than what I could get from an anti-ageing serum. Or a nice Merlot.

I read a book called “Always Change a Losing Game” by Dr. David Posen. In a nutshell, it seems that, if I am not thrilled with how things are going, I need to review what I am doing and, well, stop doing it. Or, do it differently.  So what's so earth-shattering about that? We all know the definition of insanity (again, this has nothing to do with my inability to stand up to my cat): 'doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.' 

No, the real secret is to identify why we do - or don't do - what we do - or don't do - and deal with that. The  follow-through then becomes much easier. So to begin with, I am no longer going to be 21 years old because I no longer have any desire  to stop time. There is not much about being 21 I care to relive so it's time to age. Gracefully.

And while I could not possibly reveal all the secrets a freshly-22-year-old has learned over time, I will try to remember to share the results of this outlandish experiment I call “growing up.”