Kids, life questions and the hourglass

I'm constantly reading books and articles looking for answers regarding my life choices. Did I make the right choice by not getting married, not buying a house, not having a 9-to-5 job, not having kids, not going to church, never buying a new car and not having a 401K plan. Compared to the typical American, I'm basically socially retarded. Reading Stumbling on Happiness it was interesting to read the page below regarding kids and how they affect your life. Consumer Reports did a survey that put "attending to one's children" just above washing the dishes on a level of fun activities. Ask any parent with a kid between 12 and 18 and I think I've found my answer to one of the questions (or two actually, kids and marriage). Five studies can be pretty convincing. According to everything I've read, the only things I've missed out on are lots of screaming and yelling, crying and fighting and spending shitloads of money on raising kids. But, am I lonely? Let me think... No. It's all been pretty good so far.I'm guessing some guy waiting for a bus who just turned 40 wrote this trying to convince himself that it's all okay. But knowing in his heart that in the great "hourglass of life" he has more sand on the bottom than on the top. Keep scribbling my friend, keep scribbling.