Happiness is Turning 50!

By the time we hit 50, we have learned our hardest lessons. We have found out that only a few things are really important. We have learned to take life seriously, but never ourselves. ~ Marie Dressier

So I turned 50 exactly five months ago today and I was sitting back reflecting on what if any changes turning 50 has had on me.  I’ve never been one to really get all that excited about what age I was turning.  Age really is just a number, I know ancient 20 year olds and super young 80 year olds.  My grandfather got in a street fight at the age of 87, if that doesn’t convince you age is just a number I don’t know what will.  Ok, maybe if he’d won the fight it would be an easier sell, but still.

I know a lot of folks at 40 and 50 have that existential awakening that they will die someday and start to understand how limited and precious our time here is for all of us.  I’ve been fortunate, or unfortunate for the madness it brings, to have that mindset for quite sometime in my life.

Turning 50 is a great excuse for a lot of people, to act silly, or check off bucket list items or make big life changes they should have made years before.  I haven’t done much of that, my impending Appalachian Trail thru-hike is part of a recurring five year cycle that is linked to that understanding that we only live once.

However there does seem to be one change that has occurred since my latest trip around the sun has begun.  I have always been someone who doesn’t put up with a lot of, for lack of a better word, bullshit.  If you treat me badly I let you go, if you persist I will make you very, very uncomfortable.  Of course, family seems to get a bit of a pass on this and in my life I’ve put up with shit from family members I wouldn’t take from anyone else.  Well, for 50 years anyway!  It seems the family pass in that respect had a 50 year time limit, who knew?!  In the last couple of months it has become apparent that I have leveled the playing field for all.  Given that we often profess how important it is to keep ourselves happy, this little change that has occurred after I turned 50 has certainly made for happier days my friends ~ Rev Kane