Angst at 50


I didn’t mention this here when it happened … I didn’t want to dwell on it. I turned 50 on the 16th.
It sounds old; it doesn’t feel that way.
Thirty was OK, 40 was OK. …. 50 … hmmm … not so OK. I’m not really buying “50 is the new 30.” jingle phrase … 60 is the new 40 and if you’re in you’re 30s, you’re in your teens!


I’m not sure who first used that phrase: Let’s blame Oprah. Who knows, maybe she never said it, but Billy Bob has.

“Brown is the new black and 50 is the new 30.”

— Billy Bob Thornton
I don’t need this
The idea of “Second Adulthood” popularized by Gail Sheehy’s “Passages” work sounds positive.
I’ve been telling people “I’m just halfway.”

“Most of us find ourselves, at 50, in a strange and uncomfortable time warp.”

— Gail Sheehy
Sounds positive, doesn’t it? Well, it gets better. Read the whole first chapter to get the drft of it. Here’s an interview.
I found her Web site a bit hookie, but I’m 50.
Maybe she really meant:

“Growing old is not for sissies”

— Bette Davis
But I found this quote to the most comforting:

“Sure, I’m for helping the elderly. I’m going to be old one day myself.”

— Lillian Carter (in her 80s)
Now, that was a rare lady.
Some articles in the “30 is the new 50” vein:
Baby boomers create new marketing frontier
Reaching For More
CHASING YOUTH: Cheating the Clock
Zooming Along
Yep, it’s true; getting older never looked so darn good
Half A Century and Hotter Than Ever
And some blogs on the same subject:
Whiiiinge
MoorishGirl
Media Cynic
The Cleft of the Rock
Pepper’s thoughts on work, inlaws, and life
KANNOS, ETC. BLOG OFF!!
Rich’s UEN Blog
Ramblings About Psychotherapy and Life…
For F*ck’s Sake