The nod
Much to my wife's annoyance I consider myself firmly in my "middle aged" era. She feels it as something that's half-way to death and to be feared. While I'm really enjoying and in some small ways leaning into it.
I don't drink or smoke anymore. I don't party or want to go sky diving. I really like that my life is in many ways calmer, simpler and has more of a rhythm (let's just pretend things like work, mortgages & kids don't exist for now).
My favourite side effect of this rhythm is the ability to notice smaller things and be a lot more grateful for them. Today's particular example is "the nod". On my short cycle in to the office every day, I often pass a combination of cyclists, security guards, pedestrians and every so often you get to just share a little "yup, we're all just human beings, on this huge spinny ball of rock, living out our lives" nod.