Unexpected Gifts

Some days are simply exhausting, it's when life slows and there is nothing I can do about it. Other days, something in the house breaks, bad news is delivered or the heat combined with a never-ending hot flash threatens to wring me out. I feel sorry for myself and have a great, big, pity party-- And then I move on, or at least as best I can at the moment.

I recently had "one of those days-- A. Day. From. Hell. Nothing life threatening, just a whole lot of drama all lumped into one very long, very hot, day. But around 10 o'clock that night, five gifts appeared within about an hour's time, and I couldn't help but feel better. Okay, six gifts appeared, and one of them was a Xanax, but you'll see why my spirits lifted if you keep reading.

The first gift was a post by my dear friend and "Sister in Snark", Holly over at Your Mother Knows But Won't Tell You. And if you didn't read this post, grab a cup of coffee or a big ice tea and settle in for a great read. Then pass the post onto every single, unattached, person you know. Believe me, they will thank you for it! If you don't know Holly you should, so please pay her a visit! You'll see why I love her, why the post kept me hanging on every word and why I think she should write a book!

After reading Holly's hilarious and informative post, I checked my emails and found this picture!

Two of my favorite love birds were recently married and put "their motto" on the top of their wedding cake. "The peanut butter to my jelly", is what the bride and groom always say about each other. Can you see the wedding veil and the tuxedo bow tie? It made me smile.

I checked the front door for mail well after 10pm and found gift number three, my tres chic new indoor/outdoor rug, courtesy of Christy at A Lil' Welsh Rarebit's Giveaway a few weeks ago. Cool, huh? It will look great on my patio!

Christy is a self proclaimed "trophy wife and stay at home mom" with a beautiful baby girl! And, she's training for a triathlon! Please stop by when you get a chance and cheer her on.

And then, I found gift number four-- A bowl full of these left for me by Godson's Mom.

They are tiny tomatoes-- Think smaller than a pencil eraser, and the sweetest tomatoes I have ever eaten. And they smell wonderful! Of course these are the remaining few that I haven't eaten-- yet. But I stopped long enough to take a picture to show you because, well, just because they are perfect.

I finally sat down around 11pm and thumbed through Real Simple Magazine and discovered gift number five-- An Essay Contest titled "When did you first realize that you had become a grown up?". I read the short blurb with details and folded the page to read again later.

Over the past six months of blogging, I've tried to figure out what I want to do with myself. I don't like retirement, which is one of the reasons I started blogging, but honestly, I'm not up for another 60 hour a week job either. What I have figured out is that I enjoy writing, something I never did before in my "previous life", so I think I will write more and have less of "those days".... Or at least try to.

Before the Essay Contest gets buried in my "to-do" pile, I'm going to sit down and take a stab at it. I've never written one but I definitely feel like a grown up-- And I remember the first time I realized my childhood was behind me.

I'll enter it in the Real Simple Magazine Essay Contest. Deadline is September 7, 2009 so I have time work on it-- And you have time to work on your essay if you so desire!

What unexpected gifts have you received?

Welcome to The Fifty Factor - Joanna

Photo Credit - Top Pic

PS Be on the lookout for my first ever GIVEAWAY. Coming soon!

Employment Reinvention

My 50 and 60-something friends are hitting the books again. Yep, it's back to school for many as a way of reinventing their careers and in the process, their bank accounts too.  Times are that tough!  Many fear they will lose their jobs soon or aren't feeling the love from their much younger bosses. Others, sadly, are a paycheck or two away from -- gawd forbid--moving in with their kids.  In short, they each need a new gig!

I am impressed, dazzled actually, at the way in which so many of my gal pals are tackling their employment reinvention.  They're not freaking out or feeling sorry for themselves.  These ladies are too young for social security and too old to be comfortable with no job security so they are taking the bull by the horns in search of their next paycheck.

Gina (62) is training to be a traffic school instructor.  Karla (51) is promoting her services via Craig's List as a personal assistant. Shelly (56) is offering her parenting experience two nights a week as a baby sitter at a swank Beverly Hills hotel.  And Kathy (53) is getting her MBA with an eye on a management job in Europe with the perks of travel.

Each woman is completely out of her comfort zone but love the experience.  Well. "love" might be a strong word but they are energized by the process.  Their stock portfolios may be down but these ladies are not out!  They all say they are "buying time" for the economic stimulus to bounce back and the benefits of Medicare to kick in.  But along the way, they are learning new tricks and feeling confident about their future job prospects. They say that "getting out there again" even makes them feel younger!

Are you reinventing your career?

Welcome to TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna

Fifty Is The New Forty?

What exactly does "50 is the new 40" mean?  Am I supposed to "feel" forty?  Am I supposed to "look" forty, be more "viable", more "interesting", more "fabulous"?  Because frankly, I don't.  I'm still fifty and I'm not liking it!

As the big 5-0 approached, I felt myself falling into a sort of no woman's land without a parachute.  My clients, all senior level ad execs, were getting younger by the minute. My designer jeans and Manolo Blahniks were generating less and less interest from the opposite sex. My doctor asked if I'd started experiencing hot flashes yet.  And my hair stylist repeatedly mentioned shorter, more "age-appropriate" haircuts with  me.  Funny thing though, no one was mentioning my much anticipated clock rewind back to 40!  I dreaded turning 50 with every inch of my being.

My 50th birthday came and went faster than the pint of ice cream I consumed standing in front of the frig the morning of my "big day".  I did not hear a single angel rejoicing "Happy 40th!".  Not one peep.

Since the day my meter clicked over to 50, all I've heard about are 50 and 60-something women trying to "reinvent" themselves so they can survive in our youth obsessed society.  If fifty is the new forty and sixty is the new fifty, what the hell does that mean to me and how do I get on the bus?

Stay tuned, we'll find out together.

Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna