Happy Birthday To Me

I don’t look different. I don’t feel different, but I am.

As of today I am 50.

50 years old.

Fifty.

Five-0.

The big 5.

I’ve been calling myself 50 for several months now, trying to get used to it.

AARP has been stalking me for months; they send me stuff in the mail on a regular basis.

Have you ever lined up pictures of yourself that span decades? Did you notice that with each passing decade your eyes look more and more weary? Try doing it in reverse. I found a recent photo of myself, and one taken about 20 years ago. I could not get over how rested I looked in the younger one. Sure didn’t think so at the time with four children under the age of 8.

I’m one of those kinds of people who go to a workshop or a meeting and checks each item off the program or agenda as it is completed. I feel like I have been doing that with each phase of my adult life.

Got married. Check.

(Spent months planning for the wedding day and not one minute planning for the marriage)

Finished graduate school. Check.

(Had no clue I would go back to school 20 years later)

Done with pregnancy. Check.

(Ok. A little day surgery backed that one up)

Last child in school all day. Check.

(Thought it would mean more time to my self. In reality meant going from part time to full time work.)

Became a grandma. Check.

(Ok. That one's a first, but too important not to mention. I’m in the club!)

Last child left for college. Turned 50 two weeks later. Check. Check.

(Too much to process all at once.)

In contrast, I have decided to approach the second half of my life (positive thinking) as an adventure. As long as God continues to bless me with good health, I refuse to just sit and look, or twiddle my thumbs, or waste away in front of the TV. This time around, I want to check off firsts, not lasts.

Started blogging. Check.

(Met some really neat Christian women/fellow bloggers on-line as a result.)

Started taking a spin class. Check.

(Hardest workout I’ve ever had, next to running. I feel great!)

Learning Spanish. Check.

(Invested in a conversational Spanish program that I listen to in the car. It’s a start.)

Meet my friend Nancy at 5:45 a.m. for power walking. Check.

(Each one brings a topic of the day to discuss. Time flies!)

That’s all I’ve got so far, but the adventure has only begun!

"Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, til I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come."

Psalms 71:18