Nobody warned us that midlife would involve creaky knees, unpredictable sneezes, changing bodies, comfortable shoes and an increasingly short tolerance for nonsense. A funny, candid look at the indignities of getting older—and why some of them become much easier once we learn to laugh.

A nearly $1,000 Etsy jewelry order felt like proof that Jennifer had finally arrived—until the buyer returned it after the deadline for being “not substantial enough.” Then Jennifer found the family photograph.