au revoir to my forties

Okay, it’s time! Salute to 49 trips around the sun! Anyone ever reinvented themselves at mid century point to come out a better you? If so, I’d love to hear your story! For me I think exit 49 is a great place to pull over and chart a new path. You’re never too old to learn new things. Just ask my Mother, she finished her BSN after 50!

So what is my life like at 49? Life is good I have to admit. Am I where I thought I would be in life? No way, in college I assumed I would be anchoring the Today Show by now, living the glam life in Manhattan. Of course, I’m not and I’m ok with that. A different path chose me and I’m grateful.

So I’m not a Today Show anchor and I have lots more wrinkles, cellulite in places I didn’t even know you could have cellulite in, less hair, more weight (ugh), more stress, less time to do anything BUT oh, look what I’ve got!

Life is messy and it does take you down bumpy roads. My best friend from childhood knows this all to well after surviving and thriving breast cancer; twice! She’s my hero. I have more hero’s now. They look different now. Its our school bus driver that still shows up after knee and hip replacement surgery, the nurses at the local children’s hospital for always showing up with smiles on, the teachers at my sons school who tutors after a long day at school to make ends meet; I could go on and on but you get the picture. As you grow up your role models change. When I took a corporate job out of college the ambition was still there but after having my boys the life goals changed. I remember one time after a couple of promotions I was in a leadership class with other high achievers and we had to go around the room to talk about our goals. Everyone is the room, women and men stood up one by one and talked about how they wanted to be a Vice President or Senior Vice President, supervisors or executives. I thought about it and couldnt come up with my answer so when they got to me, I simply said “I want to be the best role model for my children.”

That was the path that I CHOSE, it wasn’t chosen for me. I’m not the perfect mother, daughter, wife or friend; matter of fact I’m not perfect in anything I do BUT I am perfectly flawed! Please join me weekly on this new path! We will have lots of fun, it will get messy, it will get real (next stop colonoscopy town, ha) but the journey to 50 exactly 365 days from now will be worth it!