If you would have told me on my 30th birthday that 20 years later I would be thrilled to be turning 50, I wouldn’t have believed you because back then I wasn’t all that happy to be turning 30. And yet, here I am turning 50, feeling thrilled, excited, and incredibly blessed.
See back when I was turning 30, I was afraid of aging because I hadn’t accomplished anything that I felt I should have accomplished by that age. I was also afraid of aging because people would say “don’t ever get old” followed by something about how getting old is awful or sucks.
Now, that I’m 50, I realize that getting older does not at all suck. It’s actually wonderful. Sure, I don’t have the body of a 20, 30, or 40 year old, but that’s OK because I have this wonderful body that has been through all those ages with me and I am so incredibly grateful for it.
Here’s the deal, aging has a bad PR rep. It’s constantly being maligned and it’s ridiculous because getting older is a gift, not something to be afraid of or dread. I’m pissed that so many people talked ish about aging to me when I was younger and that I believed them. Now that I know better, I promise to not turn into one of those people. I promise to give aging the good PR it deserves because by doing so, I know I will help those who are younger than I am not fear the inevitable. I also know that by embracing the aging process publicly, I can help fight ageism because the one thing that does actually suck about aging is AGEISM.
And while I’m promising things, I would like to celebrate my 50th year by making 50 promises to myself.
50 Promises to Myself on My 50th Birthday
I promise to:
- Continue learning and growing
- Say “No” to things that don’t serve me
- Say “Yes” to things that serve me, challenge me, and excite me
- Be grateful every single day
- Not do things based on age-appropriateness
- Do things based on me-appropriateness
- Exercise my body
- Exercise my brain
- Call people on their ish
- Listen when I get called on my ish
- Have friends of all ages
- Encourage those who are younger than I am
- Make tons of money
- Challenge people’s biases
- Follow my gut
- Never be ashamed of my age
- Lead with love
- Wear whatever the heck I want
- Cry in public without shame
- Laugh in public without shame
- Love wantonly
- Tell people I love them
- Sit with my feelings
- Forgive myself over and over
- Stand up for myself
- Stand up for others
- Floss daily
- Stop saving things for special occasions
- Speak kindly to myself
- Make people laugh
- Make people mad for good reason
- Expect miracles
- Acknowledge the miracles in my life
- Ask for what I want
- Accept compliments graciously
- Learn from constructive criticism
- Listen to those who have perspectives different than mine
- Accept that sometimes I’m wrong
- Apologize when an apology is in order
- Explore opportunities that frighten me
- Treasure my friends
- Get rid of socks I never wear
- Only buy wood furniture that is solid wood
- Celebrate my children’s individuality
- Continue taking care of my mental health
- Encourage others to tend to their mental health
- Be a life-long napper
- Learn a new skill every once in a while
- Be happy when others succeed
- Share my successes with others
ALSO READ: Getting Older Does Not Suck
Thank you for reading! May every age be your best age.
you are the damn bomb. and i’m so glad to read this. i’m the oldest mom in my little neighborhood friend group. and i feel like i talk/joke/comment about it constantly – YET, i totally agree with you that it’s a gift (except for lower back pain). thanks for reminding me to say what i mean. hey y’all “do get old” not “don’t get old”
Getting older is so much better than I could have anticipated. I love you!
I LOVE this Claudya! You go girl! Thanks for celebrating yourself and sharing your gifts with us!!
Chesna! You just put a huge smile on my face, thank you.
I too hated the thought of turning 30 . Mainly because I was too old for a 18 to 30 holiday. Not something I’d ever wanted to go on but it upset me to think I was now too old. Friends cheered me up saying I had my 50th birthday to look forward to when I’d be old enough for a Saga holiday … something, aged 50+ now, I have yet to go on.
Loving your list. There are so many things on it that, should I have made such a list, I’d have included. Oh well, I suppose there’s always my 60th birthday … and the 60 promises to myself … to look forward to.