Hi friends! Yesterday, I went to sleep as a 48 year old. Today, I woke up 49. It’s hitting home I’m only a year away from 50. 50!! Half a Century. How the hell did that happen so quickly? I’m fairly certain my children are already stockpiling the “Over the Hill” comments, black balloons and AARP membership cards for next year.
When I was a kid, 50 seemed so old. OLD people were 50. Now that I’m looking at it, it’s not so bad! Sure, I’ll be eligible for AARP, but you know what? “Old people” do great things.
Betty White was 51 when she started on Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Morgan Freeman wasn’t a household name until he was 52.
Julia Child didn’t start cooking until she was 40 and then, didn’t have a TV show until she was 51.
Colonel Sanders didn’t start his famous chicken franchise until he was 65.
Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t publish her first book until she was 65 and then wrote 12 of them.
The Zagats (yes, the restaurant scale people) Tim and Nina, left their corporate law jobs after their 50’s to focus on their guides. Which, btw, Google bought in 2011 for $151 million! How’s that for a retirement fund?
Then of course, there was Grandma Moses, who started painting when she couldn’t hold an embroidery needle any longer. She was 76 and spent the next 25 years as a painter.
There are plenty more examples, but with such great inspiration, I’m running toward 50 with gleeful abandon! In fact, I’ve decided to do one new thing every week until I turn 50.
There are 52 weeks until the big 5-0, so let’s make them fabulous! It’s the #52to50 project. When I first thought of this, I wasn’t sure I could come up with 52 things. It seemed a bit overwhelming, but 180+ things later, I realize there are still a lot of things I want to accomplish. The list is organized by sections: Physical, New Experiences/Growth, Travel, Mental, Learning, Spiritual, Giving, Artistic, Finances and Misc/Fun Stuff! I’ll be taking classes, learning new skills, giving back, getting myself out of the house and celebrating LIFE! Some examples are: taking a Zumba class, learning to crochet, watching the Oscar nominated films from the year I was born, building a bird feeder for my backyard and more! They are simple things and won’t cost much, if anything. Except the stuff on my “travel” list. Those are lottery-winning experiences, so may not happen this year, but hey, it’s good to have goals!
Check in every Wednesday on Facebook and Instagram to see what I’m learning, experiencing and doing every week!
Till next time friends, I’m going to blow out the candles on my cake and get started enjoying the last year of my 40’s.
With all my love,
Sara
