Fabulous Fifties

A year ago, I went to my friend, Michelle's 50th birthday party - a wonderful private dinner in a restaurant with about 60 guests, delicious food, wine, and conversation. When her birthday alert popped up on my Facebook yesterday I began to think about the year she has had, in her first year as a 50-something.

Michelle moved her business The Festive Table forward in a big way this year, launching coaching healthy eating and wellness programs, an addition to the cooking birthday parties she has offered for children for years. (https://www.thefestivetable.com/) Michelle and her husband continue to have a good thing going, her kids are interesting and independent (one was a Senate page for Dianne Feinstein, helping on the Senate floor during the first 6 months of Trump's presidency, her son is in a rock band that practices in the garage, her younger daughter is an athlete), her house is one of my very favorite homes with cozy rooms, lots of light and plenty of greenery outside. She also looks great - trim and happy. And she's crazy about her dog too! 

I texted Michelle to wish her Happy Birthday, acknowledged her amazing year, and ended with "Fabulous 50s!" "I think so!" she responded. "I had heard rumors!" followed by two tiny matching emojis of a woman in a long red dress dancing so her skirt flares and swings. Two of them for emphasis! (I remember Michelle looking fabulous at her birthday party, in a red dress!)

Shortly after our text exchange, my sister-in-law forwarded me the link to Margaret Renkl's opinion piece in yesterday's NY Times, The Gift of Menopause.

Renkl likes a good deal about menopause, as I do. I'm not crazy about becoming invisible (as I have noted in other posts) but this bit among others resonated with me: "And it’s easier now to shrug off failure. It’s easier to shrug off most other things, too: missed opportunities, the unwarranted anger of others, fear of looking like a fool. A person who is not afraid of looking like a fool gets to do a lot more dancing."

With everything going on in our individual lives and in the world, take time to dance. Dance like no one is watching, dance like there's no tomorrow, swing the skirt of that red dress!