Just three reasons I love being 50

Halfway to 100, and life looks good

When my mom turned 50, I thought she was ancient. After all, half a century sounds pretty old to an eight-year-old. (Who knew she’d almost double those years of living?) But now that I stand where she once did, I think this is a vibrant age! In fact, if I knew 50 was going to be this good, I might have looked forward to my birthday a little more. It turns out the fifties are great for lots of reasons, but here are just three:

1. Fitness. Having uninterrupted time to exercise is a nice perk of this age, but, beyond that, I know of many fifty-somethings out there running marathons, knocking out 100-mile bike rides, and scaling tall mountain peaks. Being healthy while still conquering physical feats seems to be the greatest driving motivation behind fitness in the fifties.
2. Freedom. My girlfriend calls it “comp time for mothers.” After spending a couple of decades racing through each day to meet the demands of a growing family and having to load up the car with kids every time I left the house, I now have freedom to just jump in the car and go. Being able to spend my days playing or working or reading or serving is liberating.
3. Friends. By this time in life, a handful of faithful friends have been with me for my growing-up years, my college years, and my married and mothering years. We've shared histories and heartaches; we've shared lessons and laughter. At this point, I know which friends want to stay connected to me, and staying connected to them is one of the things that makes turning 50 so fantastic. 

I’ll admit I’m not loving the gray hairs and new wrinkles welcoming me into the fifties, and I’ll admit I'm going to bed and waking up a little stiffer than I once did, but I’ll take those things along with the fun this new decade seems to be serving up.