2011: It’s a good year for turning Fifty

 

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2011!  It’s the year where everybody who’s somebody turns fifty.  If you don’t believe me, see for yourself—Barack Obama, George Clooney, Michael J. Fox, k.d. lang, Cindy Brady, Doug Morris… need I continue?  

Okay, so last night I’m getting ready for bed and doing my customary ‘last minute check of the internet’ before shutting things down & I see a blurb on MSN’s home page, “Celebrities turning 50 in 2011”.   I take a quick look, no surprises there—don’t we all sort of keep tabs on famous people in our own age group?  (For instance, I’ve always known Michael J. Fox was 6 months older than me and Matthew Broderick was 5 months younger;  I have a lot more in common with Matthew than Michael though, don’t you think?)    Anyway, as I’m scrolling through the faces (oh no, Boy George is there too)  I can’t help but think a couple things—there’s a lot of celebrities turning 50 in 2011, and in ten months, I’m going to join them.

I wasn’t planning to write a blog about turning fifty just yet--I just had my 49th birthday two months ago!  In fact I had every intention of making this one of those tired, lame ‘New Years Resolutions’ blogs where I make a lot of promises to both myself and you.  (Lose twenty pounds, fix up the apartment, make some new friends.)   But with that half-century mark approaching, maybe it’s time to look at things a little differently:

Five things about myself that I don’t see changing anytime soon

1. I enjoy the great outdoors only when I’m in the great indoors

2. I obsess about making decisions—and lists

3. I spend more time in the past and the future than in the present

4. I overreact & overeat (or vice-versa)

5. I expect everyone to adore me for all of the above reasons

These are all things I could improve upon, but for those people out there who say “it’s never too late”, yes you’re right but I’m going to be fifty this year and one of the perks is, you pretty much stop worrying about what makes you tick, or what people may or may not think.  What did I do this weekend?  Laid on my couch, watched Season 4 of Rhoda & ate a pot of spaghetti, and yourself?   It’s just easier to be myself…finally.

That’s not to say I haven’t given up on everything.  I still like to work hard, I just want to come straight home & take a nap afterwards.  I still want to weigh less, but I’ve grown rather fond of my stocky build.  And I may not be looking for that swank loft anymore, but I still want my hovel to be a nice hovel!  

Well,I spent last Sunday assembling this nifty new cabinet to store my tv-dvd collection; it’s a start right?   Happy New Year, everyone!