Monday, February 28, 2011

Being 50...

...is so much easier than TURNING 50. Milestone birthdays have a way of bringing out questions like "am I where I thought I would be?" which are kind of no-win queries, as (in a very Buddhist way) I am where I am and that's right where I'm supposed to be. Period.

So my age is 50, and I have to be mindful not to use that as a weapon ("Of course you aren't running fast, cuz you're FIFTY!") or an excuse ("I don't have to push hard, because after all, I'm FIFTY!") Neither of those attitudes really work for me. What works is seeing movement as play and listening to my body.

I did cartwheels the other day. It was scary, cuz I didn't have a 20x20 open area to work in (don't ask me why I need that much room -- guess I didn't trust that I could stay on a straight line). But I did it and it was fun. I'm still convinced that when I'm upside down, I'm reverse aging.

Anyway, 50 is just a number, but if I ever want to feel really good about how I look, I'm just gonna tell people I'm 55 or 57. If you lie upwards about your age, people will always be (falsely) amazed, right? (No I wouldn't really do this, but it's fun to consider!)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love this Leslie. I am turning 50 in May and don’t like telling anyone that I am 1/2 a century old. However, If I can do crow pose on a cement wall in Capitola with hundreds of people roaming the streets, I am surely not old! Right? Hay, I couldn’t do this even two years ago. I say life is getting better. I love you Leslie<3

ColeC said...

My friend, you look 30!!! Age is just a number, how we look and move our bodies tells the real age...our bodies could say we are older or younger then what the number is, and yours is saying that you are around 30 :)

We can only be so lucky to look and act like you when the 5-0 comes around!

Diana said...

I'm hitting 49 (for real) this Month and have already been fretting over the 50 number. This post helps with making some minor "thought" changes, maybe it won't be soooo bad!

leslie said...

A friend on Facebook said her aunt said, "Fifty is nifty!" I kind of like that.

Anonymous -- doing crow pose on ANYTHING is impressive. On a cement wall in Capitola? I think your birth cert is wrong.

Colette -- BIG HUGS!

Diana -- I swear, turning it is harder than being it!

Irene said...

You, my friend, certainly do not look like what everyone expects a 50 year old to look like or be like. You are fabulous!

Welcome to the club!

Beth said...

I hear ya on the 50 thing. That was my hardest birthday. But I am 54 now and have gotten used to it (most of the time). :) You look fantabulous! I am in the market for some good face cream too. I will check out the Perricone site. thanks!