This is 49

By the age of 49, I had travelled to 12 countries, and visited over 100 places. I pivoted five times in my career, but had always built on what I’ve learned, so that my skills were always transferable.

By the age of 49, I had lost both of my grandparents, one parent and am an aunt to a teenage niece.

As a quintessential Gen X-er, I still don’t feel like a real grown up. I mean, check me out…

• I don’t wear age appropriate clothing.
• I don’t drive a sensible 4 car sedan.
• I get excited about the next super hero movie.
• Speaking of movies, I have more blu-rays + dvds than time to watch them.
• My bookshelf is full of Funko figurines.
• The art on my walls consists of Kurt Halsey illustrations and one Mondo limited edition film poster.
• My musical tastes did not stop at age 30 otherwise known as musical paralysis. It’s a thing.
• I’m down with the latest social media and pop culture trends.

On the inside, I feel like I’m still in my 20s. But then I pass by a mirror and get a horrifying reality check. Even though I feel more comfortable in my own skin, I’m still learning to accept slash love the way I’m looking. It’s a process.

I feel like I still have a ton to learn. Good thing my curiosity is still intact.

On the precipice of 50, I feel like this is my time to not only do more of what I love, but to explore new things. This year, I made a promise that I will treat myself at least once a month.

I will invest more time with my girlfriends. As we get older, our circle gets smaller, so it’s important to make the effort. It’s important to celebrate the friends who have enriched my life and who have inspired me. You got to if the end goal is to become the Golden Girls, non?

There was a time when I thought 30 was old. (I may have freaked out and left Vancouver so that no one could get a hold of me on my birthday). Then 40 rolled around and that was a hell of a doozy. I again fled Vancouver. I always knew I was going to hate 40.

Now that I’m staring down the barrel of 50, I’m doing my best to embrace it. Getting older is a privilege, a luxury not afforded to everyone. It helps that there are a lot of celebrities I admire who are leading the way and re-define what aging means. Fifty today looks a lot different than 50 from my parents’ generation. Besides, you’re only as old as you feel.

I think that as I get older, I’ll wear age like a badge of honour. But can I also say that while there is nothing wrong with aging gracefully, that we should all make it our purpose to smash that stigma of being old? It’s totally vain of me to want people to think that although I may be a year away from 50, they’d never have guessed that, right?

Here’s to being 49 and continuing to live a positive + meaningful life. Here’s to getting the most out of every day. And here’s to adventures because adventures are what keeps us young.