Sexy at Fifty-Four

I turned fifty-four today. I remember years ago becoming panicked and terrified at the age of being anything fifty. One night, years ago, lying in bed next to my hot college boyfriend I thought about this time in my life. Surely old people don’t have nights like we just had.  We stayed out until the early morning. A night filled with loud music and dancing until everyone had been kicked out. A long walk back to his house under the moon holding hands. We stopped to kiss and man did I feel so young and invincible.

Old people in their fifties sipped decaf tea and read books, I remembered thinking.  Perhaps they knitted or bowled every Thursday night with all their old friends. In my young naïve mind, I had visions of light-blue polyester pants and a loud floral shirt in the same tones. Not to mention the sensible shoes built for comfort and great support.

Imagine my surprise when I woke this morning to find I am not old. All my fears about being fifty anything was just a waste of my time. Sometimes I do sip decaf tea, however, more often it’s a glass of wine. Under the right circumstance, I can stay up well past two. My music is still loud and I dance without a care in the world. The only light blue polyester I wear these days are my ladies’ intimates. I don’t feel old; I feel invincible.

So, yeah, I do wear sensible shoes built for comfort and great support. Don’t judge.

What does fifty-four offer that twenty something doesn’t? I’m grounded. I am sure of who I am and who I am not. The confidence of today was nothing more than a fake identity back in those early years. I had been busy being something I wasn’t. Today I am secure in who I am.

The investment in myself over the last thirty years has paid in dividends. Learning to forgive others and myself keeps me young. Being kind to the people I meet and taking the time to listen to them has taught me a lot. Learning to say no and when to say yes are assets. Maybe it’s another year older but it comes with a refusal to grow old. I look forward to this new half of my life. I intend to be around for a long time and have a great deal of fun doing it.

That, my friends, is sexy at fifty-four.