How to Embrace Middle Age. When I got my first letter from AARP…
By: Angelica Mordant
Tags: Life, Life Lessons, Positive Thinking, Psychology, Women

Photo by Aron Visuals @ Unsplash.com

I stood at my mailbox with the grocery bags hanging on my arm as time seemed to slow. This surreal moment, I presume, was to give my mind a few extra seconds to process what was happening. At first, seeing the unmistakable logo didn’t really affect me until I realized the letter from AARP was addressed to me.

“This is it. I’m here. I’m officially old.”

There are fewer years in front of me than behind me and the last 10 or so could have me eating from a spoon and making macaroni art.

But before allowing myself to spiral down a rabbit hole of depression while contemplating my mortality I thought, “I wonder if there are any cool discounts” and tore open the envelope.

There weren’t.

In the weeks that followed, my thoughts swirled like creamer in coffee. I wondered whether my life has made any kind of impact on the world. I reflected on the few life accomplishments in my 53 years of existence. I remembered how I much really want to travel. Is the Red Hat Society still around?

I figured it was time to get that pink vintage camper I always dreamed about and take those road trips I put off for the last 30 years. Almost instantly visiting my family became a priority.

It was also after receiving the letter it became clear the entire world has been noticing my age even though I haven’t. Have I been in denial the entire time?

It feels like I woke up from a coma and am now on the other side of middle age.

I notice things that I haven’t before. Fine lines aren’t fine lines anymore. They’re wrinkles. People call me ma’am. I’m not as physically strong as I was and now use tools to do things like open pickle jars and remove bottle caps. I threw my shoulder out trying to start the lawnmower last summer. I could go on….and on…and on.

In order to make myself feel better, it only made sense to call my sister and invite her to my pity party. She’s 15 years older than me and always knows what to say to help me feel better.

After telling her of my life-altering-ah-ha moment, she said, “You think that’s bad? I get mail from crematoriums and funeral homes!”

What the heck??!!

Her tone turned serious, yet warm and she simply said, “Sissy, make your memories NOW. You’re wondering where 30 years went? You have 10–15 good years left before you REALLY start slowing down. Enjoy the time you have left. Make these years count.”

She’s right.

This IS the best time of my life. The more I think about it, the more I realize there are a LOT of reasons why being over 50 is fabulous. It’s so freeing. All those ideas and beliefs I thought were so important and that I struggled with just aren’t that important. It didn’t take long to find the first 12 reasons why being over 50 is awesome.

1) Grandchildren! I should’ve had them first. Oh my heart! When you have kids you don’t think it’s possible for your heart to love anymore. Then grandkids happen.

2) I’m at that age where I can date a 38-year-old or his father. Options baby, options! Just not both. That would be weird.

3) Some places will give me the senior discount anyway. Who knew?

4) My minivan days are over. Geez, I hated that thing. Yep, that’s me in the roadster. BTW I’ve also noticed that “oh yeah” nod from other middle-agers in their sports or luxury cars.

5) I’m the kooky/eccentric/hippie mom and I’m okay with that.

6) Mumus are being considered as a wardrobe option.

7) I’m starting to wonder if you can win enough at bingo to make a living.

8) No more hosting giant family holiday dinners. That baton has thankfully been passed to my children. As much as I enjoy entertaining, it simply got to be too much. Now I just show up with a dish and help clean up.

9) Vintage camper or converted school bus living is a very real possibility. Tiny home? RV?

10) I can enroll in college for whatever I WANT, without regard to whether or not my degree will help me in my career. Yarn dying, anthropology, hip hop dance, sociology, astrophysics, yak breeding.

11) No more periods! That alone makes aging awesome.

12) Errands consist of booze runs, craft stores, and yard sales not soccer practice, PTA meetings, and dry cleaners.

The more I think about it, the more I’m falling in love with my later years. It’s time to start checking off the items on my bucket list.

Oh yeah….I AM joining the Red Hat Society.