I realized this weekend that I am going to be 50 years old in a little over a year and a half. I don't feel like I'm almost 50. Well, most days I don't feel like I'm almost 50.
Turning 50 doesn't bother me. Honest. I had my big breakdown over turning 46. A strange number to be upset about, I know. But it was because when I turned 46, I knew my baby (okay, my oldest baby) was turning 21. I was really upset over being old enough to have an adult child.
Turning 50 is a traditional milestone. There were so many things I thought I would do with my life. And so many things that I've done that I never imagined I would.
Turning 50 is also a chance to challenge myself. A few years ago I had decided that I was going to run the NYC marathon for my 50th birthday. That's not going to happen. I could, possibly, get serious about training for the next year and make it to the race. But other circumstances make that really improbable.
So I've been working on a different type of challenge. I'm calling it my "50 by 50" list. I completely stole the idea from "101 Goals in 1001 Days." I'm working on coming up with a list of 50 things I'd like to accomplish by my 50th birthday. Each item on the list has to be realistic. I can't put down "Win the lottery," although I can add "Buy one lottery ticket every pay period for a year." Some of the items are long-term, like "Lose 100 lbs." (It doesn't sound realistic, I agree. But this one was dictated by my doctor, and it translates to losing 5 lbs a month which sounds a lot easier to do.) And most of them are just for fun, like "Take a wine class" or "Ride a bike in the park."
I'm still fine-tuning the list. I'll post it as a page, so feel free to offer suggestions while it's in the tentative stage. The official start date will be April 1st, unless I decide I'm ready before that.
Naturally, I'll be providing regular updates as I accomplish my 50 by 50.
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