'Hey World, I'm 35!'

To earn airline miles, I take surveys and polls that often ask for my age for clarification purposes so the market research firm can tell its client that right-handed 34-year-old college-educated women feel this way about bleach or paper towels or whatever.

Tomorrow, I'm jumping up a box.

After much pondering and fretting and, likely, too much time dedicated to this topic than it maybe deserves, I'll be 35 in just a few hours. Hmm.

I'm still not sure how I feel about being this adult age. Am I grown up? Am I mature enough? Serious enough? Am I on the right path? Do I know what I want? Do I know enough to get what I want? Still 34, the answer to all those questions is "probably".

It's not definitive but it's the best I can do right now, which is fine. "Probably" is much better than "definitely not" and very surely on the road to "certainly". Maybe in a few months, I'll be all the way there.

I don't want to hide my age or apologize for my life, which I think is the best place to be regardless of your age. If I can still feel this way a year from now, that's a very good thing.

Since I don't have a crystal ball, I can't accurately project what I'll be thinking or feeling a year from now when I'm just on the other side of 35. Luckily, I have friends who can share that insight with me.

A dear friend, former colleague and partner-in-crime who recently turned 36 offers some practical and reassuring advice in this installment.

Your name (first name and last initial) Maggie I.

What year did you turn 35? 2011

Where were you living then? Washington, D.C.

What were you doing then (working, going to school, raising kids, etc.)? Working!

What big personal milestones happened when you were 35 (got married, bought a house, moved to a new city, started a new job, etc.)? No real milestones that year, except for turning 35.

What major events happened in the world that year? Sadly, I had to Google this. Earthquake and tsunami in Japan, royal wedding, revolutions kick off in the Middle East, riots in the UK, the Great Recession continues, the Mars Rover launches, the war in Iraq officially ends.

What are your favorite memories of being 35? Watching the royal wedding in the middle of the night with my parents and sister, decked out in plastic jewels and tucking into scones. Regular weekend fun and relaxation with my boyfriend. My sister's visit to Washington, D.C.

What did you like best about yourself at that age? A growing sense of contentment

What did you like least about yourself at that age? My sun spots and increasing blotchiness!

What were the biggest lessons you learned at that age? Circumstances don't determine how content you are. You can find contentment in most circumstances. Also, totally unrelated: When shopping for clothes, fit makes all the difference. Just because something isn't obviously a bad fit [that] doesn't mean it's a good fit, and I want/need a good fit!

What were the biggest misconceptions you had about being 35? That I was old. Now that I'm 36, 35 doesn't seem so bad! I'm sure it'll be the same next year.

What was the most surprising thing about being 35? The physical changes that hit soon after my birthday: quickly weakening muscles, hormonal drops, fading memory (hence the need to Google 2011's major events). How hard it is to get into shape. Also, the fact that even though 35 sounded old to me, I felt as though I was young—about five years younger than I am. I think not owning a home, being married or having children helped with that.

If you could go back to that age knowing what you know now, what would you do differently? Honestly? Save up to have my sun spots zapped. I can still do that at age 36, I just wish it were done already.

What advice can you offer to other 35-year-old women? Relax. Enjoy the stage you're at. And don't let anyone treat you as though your circumstances should be different, especially when it comes to marriage and kids. Circumstances don't make your life what it is. Life is not a competition, and people who treat it like it is are slaves to their egos, but life is infinitely richer and more joyful without an ego to satiate.

Is there anything else you'd like to share about your experiences being 35? You're still young. Really!