By Pamela Redmond Satran. This is often thought to have been written by Maya Angelou but it’s not! It’s an important read for EVERY woman. Mothers should insist that their daughters read it too!

By 30, you should have:

1. One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you’ve come.
2. A decent piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family.
3. Something perfect to wear if the employer or man of your dreams wants to see you in an hour.
4. A purse, a suitcase and an umbrella you’re not ashamed to be seen carrying.
5. A youth you’re content to move beyond.
6. A past juicy enough that you’re looking forward to retelling it in your old age.
7. The realization that you are actually going to have an old age—and some money set aside to help fund it.
8. An e-mail address, a voice mailbox and a bank account—all of which nobody has access to but you.
9. A résumé that is not even the slightest bit padded.
10. One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry.
11. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a black lace bra.
12. Something ridiculously expensive that you bought for yourself, just because you deserve it.
13. The belief that you deserve it.
14. A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don’t get better after 30.
15. A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship and all those other facets of life that do get better.

By 30, you should know:

1. How to fall in love without losing yourself.
2. How you feel about having kids.
3. How to quit a job, break up with a man and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.
4. When to try harder and when to walk away.
5. How to kiss in a way that communicates perfectly what you would and wouldn’t like to happen next.
6. The names of: the secretary of state, your great-grandmother and the best tailor in town.
7. How to live alone, even if you don’t like to.
8. How to take control of your own birthday.
9. That you can’t change the length of your calves, the width of your hips or the nature of your parents.
10. That your childhood may not have been perfect, but it’s over.
11. What you would and wouldn’t do for money or love.
12. That nobody gets away with smoking, drinking, doing drugs or not flossing for very long.
13. Who you can trust, who you can’t and why you shouldn’t take it personally.
14. Not to apologize for something that isn’t your fault.
15. Why they say life begins at 30.

Guys are usually shy when it comes to talking about their feelings for the person they really, really love. There are times that they don’t say it but then they show it. There are also times that guys don’t realize that they are falling in love with that woman sitting across them. For guys who are new to the dating and love rollercoaster, here are some signs that you seriously falling hard for that special woman in your life.

No. 1- She is always on your mind.
There might be a lot of things that a normal guy thinks about. But regardless of the millions of thoughts that can occupy his mind, she (the woman) becomes the center of his mind’s attention. There may be certain things that bother him but he rejects these thoughts in place of the wonderful memories that the girl brings him.

No. 2 – You remember her scent. You remember the smell of her hair and her lips.
The scent of her hair and the taste of her lips- these are jsut some of the weird but cute things that a guy remembers in the girl that he likes. They might not be together at certain times but he remembers the smell (fruity, flirty and what not) of her hair. He remembers the flavor of her lip gloss and the color of her lips. It might sound weird but this is actually true. The scent of a woman stays in the guy’s mind and his olfactory nerve!

No. 3- You have the urge to protect her.
For guys in love, they have this feeling that they can be the girl’s protector. They can’t bear to see the woman they love suffer. They want to keep them from harm’s way. They might even make a vow to do everything and anything in their powers to ensure the woman’s safety and happiness.

These are just some of the things that a guy can feel when is on the brink of falling hard for that ideal woman. Guys may have different experiences from each other but the most important thing is that they realize the value of love and the value of the woman they love.

Have you ever heard of this site? If you haven’t you’re about one in about ten who haven’t. It’s near the top of the Alexa rankings. They’re the folks that keep tabs on all the websites and let you know which sites are most popular. DivineCaroline.com is a class act from beginning to end.

I was sent the link by someone and I started to have a look around and in just a few minutes I wanted to make a comment. Usually when that happens I try to bite my fingers off because I know I’ve got to put my details in and then wait around for mail to get on a carrier pigeon and then I have to validate the mail and by then I’ve forgotten the name and password. Not so with DivineCaroline.com. They didn’t ask for many details and then POOF I was in. Not only that, but the first page you get to after logging in the first time gives you all the options on what to do next.

The site is filled with great articles about everything from relationships, food, travel, fashion, careers, money — frankly anything that would interest a woman is here. It’s now my first go to place when I log in every day just to see who’s written what. There are also forums and a place called chitchat but I haven’t checked that out yet.

The best bit is that I’m going to contribute some articles there in the relationship section. You can too. All you have to do is have a subject to write about (they’ll even give you suggestions on that too) and then submit your article. They’ve got editors galore who’ll get your words published on the site in just a day or so.

Anyway, see you there!