“How did I feel when I turned the Big 5-0?”

This question was brought to my attention last year.

“I can tell you I felt fabulous about entering into a new decade in my life, but I am not about to start this blog off with a lie. After all “Club Fifty” is ALL about being honest and transparent so we can help the next “Golden Diva” out. Agree…I sure hope so!”

So here is my truth!

Woman to woman I was in a bad headspace last year. My mind was all over the place. There’s something about those milestone birthday’s that make you get caught up in your feelings. Don’t get me wrong or anything I am grateful God has allowed me to see this decade.  

However, reality set in and it came with a lot of surprises.  When I turned 50 on March 12^th I was excited and filled with joy and then fear.

Fear of where I thought I should be in life, fear of where I was in life, and fear of aging. 

Whispers of the unknown and uncertainty plague my mind; which caused me to do a lot of self-reflection about my purpose in life, about finding what makes me happy and fulfilled.

I thought I would welcome this landmark birthday with open arms, instead I dreaded it with a closed mind. To make matters worse I had a constant reminder that I was heading into the very early stages of senior citizen status. I started receiving numerous mail from AARP (with real possibilities) reminding me that I was aging. I just wasn’t ready to collect on my senior benefits.

This new chapter in my life was totally different from turning 20, 30, or even 40, during those decades I had minimal worries and problems. Life was a breeze. My career was booming, my beauty routine was effortless with no signs of aging and I could eat just about anything without gaining weight.

Seriously!

My metabolism was so high that I only gained 2 pounds in a year. I barely worked out and I stayed fit and healthy.

Oh…how things changed! Speaking of change…menopause invaded my life last year with an extra 10 pounds. What a birthday gift! I know this is a natural time of transition and it’s definitely inevitable in a woman’s life…yadda, yadda, yadda…but this was an unwanted gift that I wanted to give back.

“RETURN TO SENDER!”

I was so depressed about the rapid weight gain and how my body started to change. All I know is I woke up one day and I didn’t recognize my body nor my own life! We will talk more in-depth about that in our health post.

Did you know when a woman turns 50 we are usually experiencing a crossroads in our lives? Contrary to the negative this can be a positive point in our lives to thrive in times of change. Simply put choices have to be made!

See the first choice I made (after the fear dissipated) was to dispute the stigma society placed on women when they turned fifty. What stigma may you ask? Did you know when women turn fifty the world starts to see us as the invisible woman?

Unfortunately, the media plays a great part in this dismal perception by only seeing younger women as beautiful and smart and women of a certain age as unnoticeable without a voice.

Well…not in my book!” I changed the narrative of my life story and my mindset about who I am becoming as a middle-aged woman.  I’m aging gracefully, not fearfully, and yes I’m fighting it every step of the way.

Fighting to live my best life yet by staying healthy, fit, focus and alive on the other side of 50! My girl Jill Scott said it best in her song “Living Life Like its Golden!

This is why I said YES to “Club Fifty” because 50 is BEAUTIFUL!

Now I’m asking you to share “How did you feel when you turned the Big 5-0?”

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