On Thursday, I turn 50.
I remember as a 9- or 10-year-old, imagining what life would be like when I was 18 or even 20. Those were magical ages to the younger me.
While I wouldn’t call 50 “magical,” I certainly am finding it manageable. I am using this transition to say goodbye to things I have stubbornly carried with me from my 20s and 30s into my 40s, and now have no place in the way I plan to live my 50s.
Many things on my heave-ho list involve ridding my life of anything you could call “the price paid for beauty.”
High heels, see ya later. Nylons, never again. Hair-tangling barrettes and scalp-gouging clips are now Miss Puddin’s (our cat) playthings.
I rid myself of the need to be “in style.” While I have yet to wear a sweatshirt with a Disney character on it, my once “preppy” clothing style (Bennetton, anyone?) has morphed into a deep, almost reverential, love of black, grey and white.
If Zuckerberg can wear the same outfit every day, why can’t I?
I take with me the most hard-fought lessons of my 20s and 30s, all of which were taught to me by others. I came up with none of this on my own.
Making mistakes is an essential part of life. It proves that I am learning something.
Humility is an under-rated trait. It isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking less about yourself. When I can be humble, I can learn new things.
Self-awareness is an essential part of maturity. I lived most of my 20s and 30s as if I was the center of the universe. Balance came when I could see how my actions affected other people, and I started being responsible for them.
And now off I go into the next decade, dressed in black and wearing comfortable shoes.
Michele Nuttle can be reached at 924-7172, ext. 234 or at mnuttle@ledgertranscript.com.