Socksshep, you're not crazy! If your lights are good and you're reflective, you'll be fine. And if you're 37 years old, you need to be doing it -- it's way too easy in the thirties to forget that the forties are coming. When people at work ask me why I bike in, I tell them I'm in training for getting old. =)

As for getting your wife to calm down... how about having her read the commuter forum here? Maybe if she realizes you're just one of many, it'll make her feel better. Or better yet - get her a bike!