Am I Crazy? 38, never thought I'd considering nursing but now I am

I am 38 and just now considering nursing as a second career after 18 years in the real estate industry. My grandmother was a nurse. All my life, I always said I would NEVER get into the medical field because I just did not think I could handle the emotional aspects of it. I don't like hospitals because I associate bad memories with them (other than giving birth to my daughter in a hospital). I always thought I'd be sad working with sick/dying patients everyday.

With the real estate industry in the toilet, I decided that it's time I start looking into another career. I mentioned to a nurse friend of mine that I'm looking into going back to school and starting over in a new career. I also mentioned the fact that I've always felt that I needed to be in a career where I could help people somehow. I just could never figure out in what capacity, but it's almost as if I felt that it was my purpose in life. My friend suggested nursing. I immediately gave her the spiel I have been giving everyone since high school : There's no way I could ever be a nurse because I'd be sad everyday. Nope -- not doing it !!!

She proceeded to tell me that you learn to deal with it in time. She went on to mention that there are so many opportunities in the nursing field including working for insurance companies, law firms or working in a lab, etc ... She said I didn't necessarily have to work in a hospital. She really piqued my interest and I actually found myself getting excited at the idea !!!

What interested me were : 1) can get just an AA 2) good pay 3) flexible hours 4) helping people 5) varied job opportunites 6) pretty good job security -- a LOT better than the real estate industry and 7) can pick up and move to another state and still find a job (not something I can do so easily in my current line of work). I'm particularly excited at the thought of maybe working as a L & D nurse or in the nursery or NICU. I realize that I would need further training for those specialties, but the thought of working in one of those units actually excites me.

But, if I do this, I want to be sure I'm doing it for the right reasons. I guess I question whether or not this is the right path for me to go down when -- as I mentioned -- I have ALWAYS refused to even entertain the idea of being a nurse.

As far as qualities that I think would help me in the job, I like jobs that keep me BUSY and are fast-paced. During stressful events, I am a very take-charge sort of person. But, for the most part, I am pretty mellow.

Did most of you know from an early age that you wanted to be a nurse?
How did you know it was the right job for you ?
How do you deal with the sad events you witness at work every day ?
Were any of you particularly paranoid about getting sick or maybe contracting a disease through work? I'm just one of those people who has always been so paranoid about that kind of stuff.
Are there a lot of older nurses that work the floor ? By the time I graduate, I will be in my early 40's. I'm worried about later, when I am in my 50's. I worry that I may not be able to physically handle the job.

I would appreciate any advice anyone can give. Thanks in advance!