Scared of Growing Old? Her Actual Life Began at Fifty

I still remember the evening I turned 50.

On my 50^th birthday, we had a small family get-together at one of the fancy restaurants in Gurgaon. My husband, kids, and siblings gathered to mark my half-century. Though I managed to show how excited I was, but somewhere deep in my heart, I was scared.

I feared to enter my 50s; I feared growing old; But, more important, I feared to be dependent.

I couldn’t sleep that night. I kept tossing in my bed wondering this is it. This was it, I thought. I don’t have any regrets about my life, it had turned out beautifully in all possible ways. Yet, there was something in me that wasn’t comfortable with the idea of getting old.

I got up early the next day. While drinking my morning tea, I realized there was something magical happening in the background. Suddenly the smile appeared on my face. I felt young at that moment and I realized my body might turn 50 but my soul was still young.

That magical thing was a song by Kishore Kumar, a song that talks about the fact that no one knows what will happen tomorrow so why to care?

So, I picked up my diary and started writing my bucket list. The things that I forgot to do when my kids and family took priority over me. And, now when my kids have left our nest to explore the world, it was time to try and experience all those things!

Here are 5 things from my bucket list that I have managed to complete (There are still 20 more to go).

1. Turning my life greener. I learned and explored new gardening skills

2. Painting. I pick up the brush and go thoughtless, so I promised myself to do it more.

3. Making life colorful. I started creating beautiful crafts out of daily use items.

4. Watching the sunset

5. Capturing the beautiful moments using my phone

I refuse to surrender to the useless nostalgia, yearning for the years that have gone and will never return.

I refuse to find myself depressed like my other friends. I pledge to find ways to live my life in a more engaging way and to look for a better quality of life in my 50s.

To all beautiful women in their fifties, we all deserve to enjoy a time of our lives and make our 50s better in every way imaginable. Do let me know how you are making your 50s beautiful?

And to the young ones, go talk to your mothers/aunts and push them to explore the beauty called life!

More from I for Her: This full-time mom shared her struggle to be more than just mom

Want to share how you overcame your life changing events? E-mail it to our editors at shareyourstory@iforher.com. If we find your story worth inspiring our audience, we would invite you to publish it on our platform.