YOU ARE HERE. When I selected an alternative music radio station recently and didn't know any of the songs, I dismissed it. Then, I watched this year's Golden Globe award show and realized I recognized only a few presenters. That's when I knew it was true; I was officially out of touch with pop culture. This wouldn't have happened in my 20s, when I knew every song, show, celebrity, and scandal that the media offered.

"Does getting old start with not keeping up with trends?" I wondered. Hadn't I recently found myself wondering how people could call that rap stuff music? When was the last time I bought new clothes, anyway? Was this the dreaded sign I was officially middle aged?"

It's not difficult to see where raising two girls while pursuing a career, caring for a spouse and cleaning the house doesn't leave much time for new shows, tunes, or, the latest anything. Changes in my life, though, have made me look around. I'm working a less demanding work schedule right now so I suddenly have more free time. My girls are older, too, and don't demand my constant companionship. How am I going to spend this new-found time?

Am I going to spend it catching up on missed flicks? Good reads? Reconnecting with friends? Developing my freelance business? Getting in shape? All of the above? I'm definitely on an unexpected journey and all I know is where I've been. I imagine one of those mall signs before me announcing "YOU ARE HERE". I guess that's where the journey starts: "Here" - right where I'm supposed to be.