Milestone birthdays come in all shapes and sizes. When our babies turn one, we fill our homes with friends and family, everyone gathering around to watch the baby “eat” that first bite of cake. Five is a whole hand! It’s double-digits on the tenth birthday. Eighteen brings the joys and responsibilities of being a legal adult.
And then the big decade birthdays begin.
For my 30th, I was a single gal. My friends threw me a fabulous surprise birthday party. A so-called surprise, as I accidentally stumbled across the invitation. I practiced my “surprised face” in the days leading up to the party, but apparently that is a skill set I have yet to master.
Forty found me just home from the hospital, nursing a newborn. Dazed and sleep-deprived, my 18-month-old happily emptied every dresser drawer in the house. I sat there too tired to stop her. I was exhausted and weepy and a birthday celebration was completely off my radar.
Shortly after my 40th birthday, I started making grand plans for my 50th. Convinced that I had “failed” at celebrating forty, I wanted my next milestone to be incredible.
As 50 approached, I discovered there were some moments of introspection about my life (like “Am I the oldest mom at the elementary school?” or “What’s up with this weird chin hair?”). But I also found myself less concerned about a party and more excited about the next chapter.
*Full disclosure: I did have an amazing party surrounded by friends and family.
All those “Over the Hill” decorations at the party store seem ridiculous. They send the message that the future is bleak. But I don’t see fifty as the pinnacle of my life. Instead, I’m thinking about all that is to come and the opportunities the future holds. I’m not at the top of the hill; I’m still climbing.
While there are certainly things I’d like to accomplish in my lifetime, I don’t have a “bucket list” for beyond 50. Maybe I’ll do something really over the top for my 75th birthday! Check back with me in 25 years.
Keep celebrating the milestones. Embrace them with the joy of grabbing cake with your fist or holding up a “whole hand.” Heck, treat every day like a milestone. That’s my plan!
