There are a lot of ‘fifty’ things we encounter in life.  The Kennedy half dollar is fifty cents, there are 50 states, we have speed limits of 50 and in Kabbalah there are 50 Gates of Wisdom (or Understanding) and 50 Gates of Impurity; Paul Simon sung of the "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”, there is a rapper nicknamed 50 Cent and fifty percent is equivalent to one half, so that the phrase "fifty-fifty" commonly expresses something divided equally in two.  But there is one 50 that touches all of us as we grow older - turning 50.  That is what many people are doing.

If I could turn 50 (again, being seventy plus), it would be a joyous occasion.  But for someone going from 49 to 50, it often looms large as a forbidding milestone birthday.  For going into your fifties you have to leave those fabulous 40s behind.  It is said that life begins at forty and seems to flow on wonderfully throughout that decade of life.  But what can one say about turning fifty?  If you plan to live to be 100, you are already half way there. And if you don't make that century mark, well then, the math turns ugly.

There are, however, some bright spots in becoming fifty and living through that decade of life.  For one thing, you aren't sixty, and everyone knows you are considered old at 60.  For another, once you get over the shock of turning 50, you realize you still feel as good as you did in your forties and that life goes on.  At fifty you are assumed to have lived long enough to collect some wisdom along the way and thus your opinion seems to count for more.  Of course that assumption does not apply if you have any teenagers around.  In that case you are only deemed to have some wisdom when they turn 50. 

It might be reassuring to remember that everyone you know over 50 made it through that milestone birthday and are still functioning.  In these trying financial times, you might even enjoy the financial benefit of qualifying for senior discounts.  Also you'll have more things to read in your mail since you'll now be receiving all that stuff that AARP sends.

Finally, as much as you might dread the arrival of that fated day, there will come a time when you will look back on it with fond remembrance.  That may take another 10 or 20 years but it will happen.  Then you will come to realize what all of us older than you have learned.  Turning 50 can be a fantastic experience.  So, relax and enjoy the day, your special day.  It only comes once and when it is gone, it is gone forever.