Top 10 Fabulous 50s Facts

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a Ride!’” ~Hunter S. Thompson

In my head, I am still a young woman, but the outside world keeps trying to tell me that may not be entirely true. I can’t promise I won’t hurt the next person that starts a sentence with, “At your age,” “as we age,” or “at a certain age.” This is usually followed by some unpleasant fact about my deteriorating body, such as your eyesight gets worse, your skin loses its elasticity and gets drier, or you don’t sleep as well. Time is not always kind. As my grandmother used to say, “It’s hell getting old.”

But the thing is, if someone promised with a wave of a magic wand they could make me 20 again, or 30, or even 40, I’d decline. I like where I’m at right now. There are a lot of fabulous things about being 50, and if the tradeoff is my body’s not as finely tuned as it once was, so be it.

So today instead of bemoaning the things I’ve left behind, I want to share my top 10 Fabulous 50s Facts:

10 — Curlier hair. For some unknown reason, my hair has gotten curlier as I’ve aged. While I once spent ridiculous amounts of time and money getting my hair permed, I now just gel, scrunch, and go!

9 — A healthy savings account. Being a young parent in an entry level job doesn’t leave much paycheck at the end of the month. As I’ve gotten older, my income has increased while my obligations have decreased, allowing me to tuck something away for emergencies and retirement. That peace of mind is more valuable than the money itself.

8 — No more children in school. No more carpooling. No more homework. No more picking up kids from the truancy center. No more worrying about grades, graduation, peer pressure, or any of the numerous concerns that plague parents of minor children.

7 — Freedom. With the savings account and the empty nest comes the freedom to relax a little, to travel, to splurge occasionally, to make decisions based more on what I want. I’ve earned the freedom to be a little selfish on occasion.

6 — Adult children. I don’t know if there is anything more rewarding than a close relationship with your adult child. I love going out with them, visiting their homes, having them visit mine. Mostly I love talking with them—about everything from important life decisions and self-discoveries to favorite television shows and the latest social media posts.

5 — Grandchildren. Anyone who knows me doesn’t have to be told how I feel about being a grandmother. Nothing compares to a hug from a grandchild or their squeals of delight when they see you coming. Absolute pure joy.

4 — Memories. The longer you live, the more memories you collect. I experience almost as much joy looking at photos and reminiscing about fun times as I did when the events took place. I’ve been recently cleaning out old emails and laughing about the many funny things the grandchildren have said and done. In fact, very few emails actually got “cleaned out,” because I couldn’t bear to part with them.

3 — Mature, established relationships. Young friendships are often wrought with petty jealousies, insecurities, competition. The relationships that have lasted in my life are with people I deeply care about and who accept me as I am, in all my imperfect glory. They are friendships based on mutual respect and support.

2 — Confidence. I’d be lying if I said I’ve grown out of all of my insecurities, but I definitely am more comfortable in my own skin—figuratively and literally— than I have ever been. Knowing I don’t have a 20-year-old’s body and never will again gives me the freedom to quit trying to look perfect. Good enough is good enough. Knowing that I have overcome numerous challenges and obtained many successes in my life gives me confidence that I can overcome the next challenge and reach the next goal.

1 — Experience and the wisdom it brings. In my 50+ years of existence, I have gained experience and wisdom that only time can provide. I honestly wouldn’t change a thing. Each step, including the missteps, taught me something and together they have brought me to where I am today, and I am incredibly blessed and happy.

Baby Christie
Baby Christie
Kindergarten photo
Kindergarten photo
12-ish
12-ish
Newly graduated from high school
Newly graduated from high school
30-something
30-something
At 44 years old with my daughter and my mother
At 44 years old with my daughter and my mother
A couple year's older at Ashley's wedding
A couple year’s older at Ashley’s wedding
Fabulous 54!
Fabulous 54!

I’d love it if you’d share which decade of life you are in and what is the best aspect and the most challenging aspect for you.

Any advice for those coming behind you?

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30 Comments

  1. Amen and ditto! I am 52 and agree with you on everything, especially enjoying my adult children and my new grandchildren. (Although I have to be honest…every once in awhile I look in the mirror and think “what the hell happened?!”. But I don’t lose sleep over it and quickly move on.?)

  2. Anytime I find myself thinking negatively about a certain age, I just have to remind myself that my older sister who died at 48 would have been thrilled to be 50, etc. I love your positivity and this list of “fabulous facts.”

  3. I loved turning 50 Christie and now can’t believe I’m turning 60 this month. The secret is just to make the most of everyday. Thanks for co-hosting and sharing with us at #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty. I’ve shared on social media. Have a lovely day x

  4. I’m loving my 50’s for all those reasons (except my hair doesn’t curl) It’s been a surprisingly great stage of life – one where so much of the hard work has been done and where I can ease up a bit and enjoy my space. Life is never perfect, but i’t pretty darn wonderful atm.

  5. I’m almost 64, Christie, and most all of your ten points apply to me, except my hair is straighter than ever and getting a bit thinner which I don’t like. We lost our dog about 18 months ago, which was very sad, but the first time having a truly empty nest and though we miss her, we do enjoy the freedom. And grandchildren and adult children are the best! We are blessed to have them live near us after having them live away for several years and I still pinch myself at how wonderful that is for us. Overall, I’m very lucky to be healthy and enjoy an active, interesting life in my 60’s.

    1. I am looking forward to my 60s for the freedom of retirement and the ability to travel more. Of course, life is full of surprises…you know what they say about the best-laid plans…so I do my best to live in the moment and enjoy today. Enjoy those children and grandchildren!

  6. Every stage of life has its rewards! Thank you for linking up at #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty. I’m sharing your link on social media.
    Carol (“Mimi”) from Home with Mimi

  7. I enjoyed reading your top 10 fabulous 50 facts. I’m in my 50’s now-late 50s! I’m at a great place in life. While I could do without the aches and pains and medications, I’m content. I’m retired from teaching and that gives me time to pursue interests and enjoy finding new adventures. I completely agree with your # 6-having adult children and great relationships with them is rewarding. And having grandchildren is icing on the cake.

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed the post Beverly. So far, I’ve found that each phase of my life is just where I want to be–never younger or older–which is good I guess, since I haven’t figured out that age-changing thing yet! 🙂

  8. Your 50s are being good to you. Mine were good to me. I am now looking toward retiring and having more time to do the things I want to do, like my blog, crafting and traveling more. My grandchildren are the real deal and there is no love like the love for a grandchild. I have one daughter and I thought I could never love anyone as much as I love her but then the grands came along and proved that wrong. I am enjoying this stage of life as well including getting married recently, which I never expected. Life is full of surprises Continue to enjoy your journey. Thanks for sharing with us at #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty. I’ve shared on social media.

  9. I will be turning 67 in 22 days. No I am not crazy about the face and body changes but other then that this age is pretty good. I am healthy and can be as active as I want to be. And I sleep as good now as I did in my teens. lol

    1. Good for you! Sleep is one of the areas that has not improved for me with time. I do look forward to a time when I can sleep when my body wants to and not be dictated by the alarm clock. I don’t mind getting up with the sun, but when it’s still dark outside, it’s tough!

  10. What a wonderful retrospective. I also enjoyed seeing all your photos.

    I’m 10 years older than you, and except for a few minor complaints about what aging does to a woman’s body, I feel pretty good and stay active. I have four young grandchildren. My husband and I left NYC and moved west to live close to them, which was the best decision we ever made. We love doing things with the grands and we also love exploring our new state. We joined a senior group that has members that are 55 to 95 and I find the older members so inspiring as I can see form them that life has a lot to offer no matter what decade we are in.

    1. Thanks for sharing that Pat. I’m glad that you’re still discovering new places and experiences. I’m looking forward to retirement and the added freedom that comes with that. I love that the group you joined brings together such a wide range of ages and experiences. May each decade of our lives continue to be “the best!”

  11. WOW! Loved this post! As I’m in my 50s too, I agree with everything you said. If I didn’t have fibromyalgia to deal with then life would be perfect but as I say that I realize it could be a lot worse. My hair didn’t get curly though 🙂 Thank you Christie for linking up and co-hosting with me at the #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty. I shared your post on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and Twitter.

  12. I’m 62 now and it’s actually a good age. I want to enjoy every age for what it’s worth because you can’t turn the clock back! What I don’t enjoy are the other little things that start happening like suddenly realizing you have a hair on your chin about 1/2 long and why hasn’t anyone, especially your husband, told you!

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