I’m 50! Fifty years old. Fifty.

    Published by

    vivian chen

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    Unlike most of my friends near my age, I looked forward to turning 50. I couldn’t wait to proclaim, like Salley O’Malley: I’m 50! (You might have to be close to 50 to recognize this character.) I wasn’t quite 30 years old when Salley made her first appearance on SNL. I couldn’t imagine then what I would be like or what I would be doing when I turned 50, but I loved Salley’s ridiculous energy and confidence and the wild things she tried (and succeeded at) doing.

    Being a January baby, I was the first of my circle to reach this milestone. A few days before, a friend texted, “Let us know what it’s like!” Geez, what is going to happen?! I wondered.

    Now that I am 50, I don’t think I can really describe what I’m like, but I can tell you some things I am doing that I didn’t expect:
    -making TikToks/Reels
    -taking hip hop dance classes
    -wearing skinny jeans
    -being stepmom to two boys
    -being married for a second time
    -being a teacher of teachers
    -riding my bike at night every week
    -getting a brand new vaccine
    -living in a global pandemic
    -writing a blog

    Maybe I actually turned out more like Salley O’Malley than I imagined, because I am kicking and stretching and KICKING…just without the handbag.

    20 responses to “I’m 50! Fifty years old. Fifty.”

    1. karpenglish Avatar
      karpenglish

      I like this! I am 52, and am definitely doing a lot of things that thirty years ago, I would not have expected I’d be doing now.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
    2. lvahey Avatar
      lvahey

      What a great list – hurray for 50, and hurray for the inspiration, too.
      Keeping KICKING IT!!!
      (I actually went to grade school with Molly Shannon, and I love so many of her characters!)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. ms. chen Avatar
        ms. chen

        That is amazing. I can’t tell you, maybe I shouldn’t, how many times I’ve walked into a room and proclaimed, “Superstar!” a la Mary Katherine Gallagher.

        Like

        Reply
    3. WOWilkinson Avatar
      WOWilkinson

      Thanks for sharing. Weren’t 40 and 50 and 60 a lot older when we were young? It doesn’t seem old to me anymore.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
    4. edifiedlistener Avatar
      edifiedlistener

      I love the energy and variety of your list. I’m a bit farther along but yeah, I didn’t see myself becoming an author or publisher. Didn’t expect to be a Twitter devotee or consumer of social media. I am enjoying this decade A LOT! Cheers to you and welcome to the party!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
    5. Morgan Avatar
      Morgan

      The image of Sally is so perfectly captured in your list and I love the way you bookend your post with a gif of her and a quick comparison at the end. It keeps the momentum of your post and matches the level of life you are writing about. What struck me most in your list is the human “being” of it all, not just the “doing.” Well done!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
    6. arjeha Avatar
      arjeha

      As they say, “Age is only a number.” I will be hitting the bit 70 in August. My mind tells me I am one age; my body tells me differently. The nice thing for me when I reached 50 was that I no longer cared what others thought of me. I did whatever I felt like doing. Enjoy this decade.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. ms. chen Avatar
        ms. chen

        My older friends all told me I’d stop caring about what others thought of me once I turned 50 and mostly they were right!

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
    7. rabbitdownahole Avatar
      rabbitdownahole

      Yeah, 50! I’m in that decade and it’s definitely way better than expected. Keep kicking it!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
    8. amyilene Avatar
      amyilene

      Welcome to the other side! I love the list and the energy in this….I am definitely going to write my own list of things I didn’t expect!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
    9. Lisa Corbett Avatar
      Lisa Corbett

      This is year 50 for me. I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. It seems so impossible! Maybe I’ll get a Sally O’Malley outfit to wear on my birthday. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. ms. chen Avatar
        ms. chen

        That would be amazing! 😄

        Like

        Reply
    10. Lainie Levin Avatar
      Lainie Levin

      What a wonderful post here! I’m 48, so I guess I’m still a spring chicken. But yes, I’m doing a LOT of things that surprise me. Then again, the older I get, the older “old” is. And…maybe you don’t have the handbag, but good money’s on you having alllll the swagger ; )

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. ms. chen Avatar
        ms. chen

        When I was 48 I started using the hashtag #almost50, but my 30-something coworker said I was still too young to use it. LOL.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        1. Lainie Levin Avatar
          Lainie Levin

          Ha! The idea of being too young for anything at 48 is a welcome one. ; )

          Liked by 1 person

    11. britt Avatar
      britt

      I love this!!! I’m about twenty years away from 50, and I look forward to the fun and wisdom I’ll have then 😉 hooray for you!!!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
    12. nancyrsantucci Avatar
      nancyrsantucci

      I love your tie in with Sally of SNL. Congrats on reaching 50 and all your accomplishments. I’d like to know more about that night time bike riding.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. ms. chen Avatar
        ms. chen

        My husband hosts a meet up every Wednesday night and we do a casual bike ride and stop at the Queen Mary or at Seal Beach. I feel safer in a group, but even after doing it for many years, it’s still a little scary!

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        1. nancyrsantucci Avatar
          nancyrsantucci

          What a healthy excursion and fun with a group!

          Liked by 1 person

    13. Darin Johnston Avatar
      Darin Johnston

      50 will come for me in another month. While I’m not 50 in my own head, I feel it. However, there are things I’m doing, just like you, that I didn’t expect to be doing either.

      Here’s to a number, not a mindset! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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