Jennifer Aniston, the queen of “uncool”, is turning the big 4-0 this week and it is almost hard to believe. Isn’t it? Wow, it seems like only yesterday Jen was wearing high-waisted frosted jeans and v-necked white t-shirts. The botox injections and the chemical peels are doing homegirl wonders, I must say. As Jen reaches the big milestone of 40, she is more than happy to speak about her life’s ups, downs (i.e. relationships), her current beau and what it means to her to be turning 40. Peep out her responses below.

ON TURNING THE BIG 4-0:

I had more of a panic going into 30. You realize that it just gets better. I have my health, I have my friends, I have my loved ones. I’m extremely lucky. I’m not saying I’m 40. I’m thirty-ten! I don’t feel 40. I don’t know what it means. At this stage my life doesn’t have the traditional framework—the husband, the two kids and the house in Connecticut. It’s MY experience. I feel good. I don’t feel like I’m supposed to be any further along. . . I’m right where I’m supposed to be.

ON HER SPLIT WITH THE SEXIEST MAN:

My split with Brad was the hardest thing I ever went through. But it made me strong, superhuman. Now I’m turning 40 and I’m very excited. When they say youth is wasted on the young, it’s so true. Oh my God, what I wish I’d known when I was 30!

ON THE LOVE SHE AND BRAD ONCE SHARED:

We had so much fun falling in love. It was so private. We kept it to ourselves for so long. It was something we were really proud of. We were put on a pedestal, but we were just a couple like anybody else. I really thought I’d be with him for the rest of my life. It was a beautiful, complicated relationship. The sad thing, for me, is the way it’s been reduced to a Hollywood cliché. But I don’t regret any of it. The marriage didn’t work out but pretty soon after we separated, we got on the phone and we had a long, long conversation and said a lot of things. And ever since we’ve been unbelievably warm and respectful of each other.

Whoever said everything has to be forever? That’s setting your hopes too high. It’s too much pressure. I still feel so lucky to have experienced it. I wouldn’t know what I know now if I hadn’t been married to Brad. I love Brad. I really love him and I will love him for the rest of my life. We’ve exchanged a few very kind ‘hellos’ and ‘wishing you wells’ and ‘love and congratulations on your babies’. I have nothing but absolute admiration for him, and I’m proud of him. I think he’s really done some amazing things.

ON THE PLETHORA OF MEN SHE’S DATED:

Over the years I’ve gone for each type of man. The rough guy, the nerdy, sweet, lovable type, the slick guy. Men in general are a good thing, I think—as long as they’re not crazy!

ON HER RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUNG PUP JOHN MAYER:

People need to mind their own business. Did you ever think Claudia Schiffer and David Copperfield made sense? Did Susan Anton and Dudley Moore make sense? Love isn’t designed. Love just shows up and you go, ‘Wow, this is going to be a ride and a half!’

Being in love makes you happy. Definitely. I deeply, deeply care about John. We talk, we adore one another. And that’s where it is.

ON BEING A MOTHER:

Do I want to have children? I do, and I will. The women who inspire me are the ones who have families and children. Why would I want to limit myself? I want to have it all.

I hope to be on the road to having a family and settling down. Ideally, I’d like a couple of kids, but who knows? I feel like that’s in my future and I’m on the verge of it in some way. I’m going to have children. I just know it.