My sister, 10 years older than I, told me recently as I mourned my impending 40th decade: “Well, be ready for your body to start disappointing you in many ways.”

No kidding. Newly minted 40, and I am already keeping my local pharmacy in business. As I pondered 15 years of covering transportation, it became inevitable that I would compare my own infrastructure to that of a highway, airport or rail system.

I’m on meds now for high blood pressure. Like a highway system, I’ve overburdened my body with the traffic of too many pressures, both hedonistic and industrious.

Root canals and crowns: Without a good dental plan, my teeth would be full of cracks and potholes.

Sensory Capabilities: Could use some new lighting, signage and signaling systems. Eye Traffic Control needs that NextGeneration upgrade.

Aesthetic Landscaping: Now I understand the obsessions with moisturizer. At least I’m not going bald.

I won’t even go into the internal plumbing.

But hey, I actually have decent health coverage under my company. It invests in me, and a chunk of every paycheck goes into the health piggy bank.

In that sense, I’m way better off than the national transportation system.

I wish I could get bionic limbs for that high-speed capability, but I will probably have to settle for medium-speed knee replacement sometime in the next 40 years.

I won’t be breeding any new infrastructure anytime soon, though. That, I can't afford.