I first realized that this was going to be a HUGE event sometime in March. As I was driving my car on a crowded highway it suddenly hit me --- hard --- that I would be turning 50 in the next few weeks. Don’t ask me why, but I became so excited I couldn’t concentrate on what I was doing. I pulled over into a parking lot to gather myself and to figure out what I was truly feeling. Was I upset? Sad? Anxious? No --- I was thrilled!!! I had MADE it. Fifty years may not seem like a long time when you look at the continuum of life on this planet. But consider this. Fifty years represents approximately 18,264 days or 438,336 hours of living. I can’t begin to estimate how many experiences (good and not so good) are represented by 50 years of living … experiences that have molded me into the person I am today … a person I finally like (say that with a sigh).

I decided that a momentous occasion like this one should not go unnoticed. For that reason, I chose to celebrate my half-century birthday for one full month. I paid off a lot of little bills that had been binding me. I bought myself a new watch --- one I could be proud of --- a very distinctive beauty. I paid someone else to do my hair for me. I stopped apologizing for the many talents with which I have been blessed and began thanking people for complimenting me on them. I started making plans for a long-overdue vacation, one that would address what I really want, not what everyone else wants or wants me to have. I asked for and received a well-deserved raise. I decorated my office to suit what I need to feel peaceful while there. I set an important long-term financial goal, charted my course, and took the first step toward realizing that goal. I WOKE UP to life and have been revived every since.

Why did all this just happen at 50? I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because it took me that long to accumulate enough experiences and wisdom to realize the success in just making it to this point. Maybe it’s the realization that age 75 is only half as many years away as what I have amassed. Maybe it’s because my one and only child is now grown and living independently. I just know that instead of feeling dismayed or depressed, I chose to feel elated, excited and empowered. I think it is just a decision I made … a good decision … and one that I’m glad I made because that decision colors how I see the rest of my life.