If I am completely, mathematically honest with myself, I am middle aged. If I make it past 90 (with brain and body still functioning at a life quality level) those are bonus years.
I can only speak for myself, but I have found being in my forties a very reflective time. My teens were fraught with changes and mistakes. Multiple moves and school changes, bad choices, situations that I was not equipped to handle, decisions made that still nibble at my conscience. My twenties were spent trying to work through the war-zone of my teens, building up, moving forward, finishing my degree, getting married. Being in my thirties was all about babies, learning to be a parent, and trying to function on very little sleep.
Now, I am in my forties. I am not new to forty. I am part way through this particular decade. My children are older, so the intensity of care has lessened a bit. I am not dealing with any huge changes or crisis right now. So, for the first time in forever I have space in my head and time in my schedule. I am half way through my life journey and trying to figure out what is next. I am no longer a struggling teenager, future building twenty year old, or overwhelmed parent (well, at least not as frequently). I feel good (most days), look good (when I stop scrutinizing all my wrinkles), and I am healthy. Forty feels like a turning point. If I have another 40 or 50 years, great. What do I want to do with those years? What do I want to experience or re-experience? What do I want to be now that I am grown up (at least on the outside)? What do I need to do to make sure those years are healthy years? Who do I want to be?
No mid-life crisis here. Just a mid-life reflection.