Tag: turning 50

Metamorphing

by Karen, posted in Midlife Crisis, Turning 50

daffodils 2013I am not exactly sure if  ‘metamorphing’ is the correct word; maybe ‘morphing’ would suffice. I only know that this year of being 50 has been much different from what I expected. My forties were a decade of furiosity, including but not limited to: furious writing, reading, cooking, baking, yoga-ing (walking, hula-hooping, Wii-dancing and other activities of the exercise type), short day tripping, collecting, shopping, scrapbooking, ‘friend’-ing, gardening, fighting (for FAPE), class-taking, picture-taking, meetings (with friends), working…and of course, wifing and mothering. I expected that my fifties would be more of the same, a sort of continuation of the frenetic activities that defined my forties.

No frikkin’ way.

So far, it’s been very different. In fact, it’s like my life as I knew it screeched to a halt when I turned 50. I feel, well, bewildered by it all. I feel encumbered. I don’t feel like ‘do’-ing much of anything (may I just mention here that I have 184 unopened emails, last count?). Mostly, I just want to, well, ‘be here now’.

You know, sitting on the couch with my husband and watch Survivor or Bigfoot or FoodTV with my daughter, sitting in my car and staring at the ocean, appreciating the view of flowers (planted for me by my husband) from my front door…things like that.

I still don’t feel like doing housework though; isn’t it comforting to know that some things never change?

50: The year I got old

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, Adult children, family, fitness, health, Midlife Crisis, no fear, Turning 50

I was thinking about how I have been in a funk these past several weeks, when I realized, no, it’s actually been several months now that I’ve been feeling this way.  I realized what is partly affecting kneemy mood and my decisions is this: I feel old.

  1. My skin looks old.
  2. All of my joints hurt all the time so I don’t want to exercise.
  3. If I do exercise, all my muscles hurt the next day.
  4. My bowel pattern is a constant concern.
  5. No matter what time I go to bed, or how late I sleep in the morning, I’m still tired all the time.
  6. I don’t want to do any work anymore.
  7. I don’t want to eat “healthy” anymore. I want cappuccino whoopie pies and DQ blizzards and apple crisps and Peanut M+M’s every frikkin’ day.
  8. I don’t even want to read anymore because my expensively, progressively, trifocally, Transitions vision sucks.

How’s that for pathetic? After I read my list it dawned on me: I’m depressed. SAD probably, since this is the longest, coldest, snowiest winter in the last, what, million years.

My daughter was reading this over my shoulder without my knowledge as I was writing it. A little while later she said,

She: “Mom, it’s not true.”

Me: “What’s not true?”

She: “That stuff you were writing; it’s not true.”

My daughter: yep, think I’ll keep her.

Second act

by Karen, posted in family, friends, Marriage, Midlife Crisis, no fear, relationships, Turning 50

I was watching the second episode of the new season of The Middle on TV. In it, Frankie has just unexpectedly lost her job and decides that instead of just running out to get another (crappy) job, she is going to treat this event as an opportunity,  a ‘second act’ in her life.

She decides to go back to school and learn to do something else. Something better.

Since turning 50 a few months ago, I’ve been thinking that my own second act may have started (or maybe even the third…but I digress).

I am hopeful this time around will be a bit easier. After all, this time around I have the benefit of wisdom to help me to successfully navigate what’s ahead, not to mention the love and support of my family and friends. Well, okay, I did have the that first time around too.

Thank God.

Also, this time around I live near enough to the ocean to visit it every day. As everyone knows, the ocean is the cure for what ails you.

Important lessons learned:  My husband rocks. My son rocks. My daughter rocks.  They all have my back every single day and really, what else matters?

Girls of a feather

by Karen, posted in health, local fun, Midlife Crisis, no fear, teens, Turning 50

My daughter and I got matching feathers a few months ago. Why? I don’t know. We were at a business expo and there was someone offering to feather people for $5. She said it usually costs $8 but it was a special price Today Only (certainly we’ve all heard that before).

Anyway, she wanted one so I figured it was harmless enough so we got in line. Izzy got to choose her feather from a box of multicolored styles of varying lengths. Once it was in, it looked…FABULOUS! As we walked around the expo, I was liking her new feather so much, then I had a sudden thought:

“I want one!”

So, since this is My Year of Turning 50, and I made the decision previously to follow any and all whims as they arise, I got one.

After a few weeks of living with the feathers, Izzy and I liked them so much, that we returned to Melissa at her regular place of business and got a second one.

Was that wrong?
So far, they are holding up pretty well, except that my pink feather is now completely white, which is not a problem.
🙂

 

Souvenirs

by Karen, posted in family, friends, health, Midlife Crisis

I want to go to Italy, but so far have not managed to pull this off (I’ll be a walking cliche and say it’s on my bucket list). Instead, I surround myself with some Italian inspired things.

Souvenirs so far:

  1. The Amore Dish, affectionately referred to by the gifter as “The Poison Plate” because once purchased and brought home, he (my son) realized that one may not eat food off it. (Note: I am a person who is quite partial to food). I solved this problem by keeping some of my heart rock collection (and other mementoes) on it.
  2. Coaster, pictured above (also from my son), which I love and have used every day I am at my desk since I received it.
  3. Gorgeous multicolored Italian pasta, Farfalle, almost too pretty to cook and eat. I love to look at them every time I open up my pantry door.
  4. A map of Italy, which my husband laminated for me. I hung it on the wall in my kitchen where I look at it every day. I wonder if any of the others in the family even see it?
  5. An Italian Santa Christmas ornament, which is on my book case in my office. I bought my grandmother one years ago and although this isn’t the same one, it reminds me of her, so I keep it there year round.
  6. Italian language books and CD’s. I used to listen to them when I was between audio books when I commuted to work. Now I just think about listening to them.
  7. Many Italian cookbooks. Many. Italian. Cookbooks.

Here’s the thing: I’m getting ready to turn 50 this year, and I suddenly realized that this was the year my friend Karyn and I were going to take a trip to Italy together (if I remember right; see here).

It also dawned on me that the time to complete any bucket listed items is getting short(er). Time to get crackin’.

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Staring down fifty

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, family, friends, Marriage, Midlife Crisis, Turning 50

I’m going to be 50 this year and have been thinking about what I want to do about it. It seems like a great opportunity for it not to be “just another birthday”. I have had a lot of ideas about how to mark the milestone as well as how to celebrate the day. I started my scrapbook for “My Fiftieth Year” and it’s halfway ready to go. I’ll finish setting it up by or on May 19 (at a scrapbooking event with my friend Susan).

I’m worried though, because as I told my friends (Susan, Deb, Elisabeth) and my daughter yesterday: I’m afraid that I have so many ideas that I won’t commit to one and will end up doing nothing. My friend’s husband celebrated his turning 50 by subscribing to “AARP”. Hmmm…I’ll think about that later.

My friend Deb is also turning 50 this year, and I envy her focus. She wants to take a trip, and even knows where she wants to go. This reminded me that I want to take a trip too! I want to go to Italy, to or near Avellino!  But I think I want to be in my home state for my actual birthday. Plus, my husband wants to go someplace else if we take a trip (like Bermuda).

I want to have an Italian birthday cake from La Cascia’s in Burlington, MA, but no one in my immediate family likes this kind of cake. The idea of 50 mini cupcakes (from Somethin’ Sweet in Sanford) surrounding one normal size cupcake (or 6 inch cheesecake?)  with an inscription of some sort would be really cool. That way, there would be something for everyone (read: no complaints that  “I don’t like chocolate!” or “I don’t like vanilla!”…minis can be ordered in many flavors). This is my Plan B.

Sigh. I’m going in circles. I saw somewhere that some people make a “Bucket List” of things to do in their 50th year. That might work.

How do people celebrate turning 50?

Anyone? Anyone?

Scrapbooking

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, Midlife Crisis, Turning 50

I got an email to attend a Scrapbooking Weekend, and even though I’m a novice scrapbooker, I didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to spend a full day with a friend, so I was so happy when I was able to arrange it so that I could attend one of the sessions.

I started thinking about what I would do during my scrapbooking time. I had an idea to set up a scrapbook entitled:  My Fiftieth Year. Kick it off with birthday month and then make a 2 page spread for each month (if there are that many in the book?) and record how I spend the year (so I start off ahead instead of behind!).

I was inspired by two things:

  1. My local library’s recent workshop that I attended to create a vision board.
  2. Meg’s scrapbook pages she calls  Project Life  on her “Our Misadventures” blog. Hmmm…maybe I should call mine Project MidLife? 🙂

I’m on the fence now about whether I should do “2012” and have it span January through December, or start in in May and have it span May 2012 to April 2013. I am also wondering about whether I should have themes that correspond with the month (for example, Christmas for December) or themes corresponding to my interests (food! writing! books!)…maybe, somehow, both?

What do you think?