You know, hitting 50 wasn’t as bad as I thought, and now that I’m sliding into my mid-fifties, I can say that wow, yeah it wasn’t as bad as I thought but it sure is bringing a lot of shit I wasn’t expecting.
Amping up my game to offset some of the aging particulars has been in my arsenal for quite some time. A big shout out to retinols, Vitamin C serums and peptides for starters. Making sure I stay active, too, is part of my regular routine. A good diet of balanced nutrition, cutting back on alcohol, not indulging in the puff puff pass as much as I used to (lol wink wink) and recognizing my body’s need to rest more is key to maintaining a balanced existence.
I think that the most important thing that I have done, though, since turning 50 was deciding to learn something new. Actually, two new things.
I signed up for Duolingo to learn Spanish. After a few half-hearted attempts, I dedicated myself to 15 minutes every morning. Two of my friends are also learning, so we joined forces to buy the full subscription which is definitely worth it. I’m now 398 days in of daily practice, and a trip to Mexico in November proved that I’ve actually retained what I have learned when I put my (limited) abilities to work. My proudest moments of the trip were helping our taxi driver with directions all in Spanish, and figuring out what our lovely waitress was asking us at the end of a meal one night. Yes, yes, I am sure I fumbled the pronunciations and of course my verb tenses aren’t outstanding, but that feeling of understanding and being understood was so rewarding.
The other thing that I have taken on was never my intention, but rather the inspiration from my sister. You see, last year she gave me a skein of cotton rope and a how-to macrame book for my birthday. Now truthfully, I was a bit, I dunno, chagrined, I guess. Maybe a bit offended, if I’m honest. I mean, I’m not a crafty bitch. I’ve always felt that my attempts at art have been cringey at best and downright embarrassing in retrospect. But with her encouraging inscription in the book, a day or two later, I dug in to a simple plant hanger project.
Well. Almost a year later and I can say that I am HOOKED. Holy moly, I love this art form. Creating wall pieces, making functional and pretty hat hangers, and other bits and bobs have been my saving grace as I struggled through some stressful times. I find myself tying knots in my mind if I wake up at 2 am, heart racing and panicky (thanks Menopause, you horrid thing).
The most wonderful thing I can say about it is that I am creating art. The simple satisfaction that settles in when I finish a piece is like no other. It’s good for my brain, it’s good for my heart, it’s good for my soul.
And that, my friends, is always a good thing.
Life On The Lake 