Mìlêstóne birthdays

[MN-Investor]

In three months I'm going to turn 60. Yikes! It helps that I have three older sisters who have already hit that number, so it's not quite so scarey.

It's funny. It seems that everyone looks forward to turning 18, to turning 21. But, after that, forget it. I remember one coworker really stressing about turning 30.

Right now I'm trying to use my upcoming birthday as incentive. In 2011 I lost quite a bit of weight. I've re-gained a little bit. Knowing that I'll be the subject of photos in three months, plus wanting to look and feel better on my 60th birthday, I'm determined to lose 20 pounds from my current weight.
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What about you? Has any milestone birthday really stressed you? Are you dreading one in the near future? Or has one inspired you to accomplish a certain thing by that date? Have you had a memorable party or event to mark a special birthday?

[Formerly SK]

I turn 40 next April. So far, I haven't ever dreaded a birthday. In fact, I'm REALLY excited to turn 40. It sounds funny to say this, but ever since I was a teen I've thought my 40s would be my best decade. I'm somewhat excited to finally see if it's true.

I have a friend who did a "mini-triathlon" this summer. I've always had bad knees, but I've been lifting and I think it is slowly helping. I've made a private goal to myself to be able to do a mini-triathlon next summer. Besides bad knees, this will be huge because I can barely swim. LOL

[Deleted]

I'm 40 in February. I can't say i'm looking forward to it exactly ... but I'm not totally freaked out by it either. 30 was no problem at all, but 40... I don't know, getting closer to 'half way'... its not quite as easy. Ok. Going to stop thinking about it now, and then everything should go back to being fine again ...

I guess I'm not sure how i feel about it

[Deleted]

I had really looked forward to my 40s and was actually kind of disappointed.

Turning 50 though really changed my outlook. I really don't care what anyone thinks about my fashion taste, or what people might think or if they like me. I know that I'm a decent, fair person and that's all that's really important.

ETA: and I loved Happyhoix's post on the "Can't Afford it Thread'

"I'm turning into a honey badger, I just don't give a shit"

[milee]

One of my favorite friends told me the funniest thing about turning 40:

"Oh, you're going to love the 40s! You're still healthy and having fun, yet you're old enough to not care about what other people think. The 40s are great. It's not until the 50s when you start worrying about death."

Death?!? Um, OK, thanks, Paula.

[Deleted]

Oh, 40 should be nothing for me then... I gave up caring what people think quite a while ago ...

[milee]

Andy Rooney had the perfect way to describe the passage of time. He noted that time passing in his life was very similar to how a roll of toilet paper runs out. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes...

Enjoy your kids but don't stress about them growing up. There are wonderful things at every age.

[Cookies Galore]

I turned 30 last year and I actually looked forward to it. A lot of things started going my way once I turned 29, and 30 just clicked for me. Now that I'm officially in my 30s (31, as of earlier this month), I say bring it!

My Mom was a miserable bitch the week she turned 50. NO ONE wanted to be around her. She was much better for her 60th back in August.

ETA: If you're doing anything special for your 60th, make sure to tell people! My sister and I took my Mom to Cape May for her birthday and I mentioned we were surprising her for her 60th when I made the reservation. When we checked in we got an upgraded suite. The bartender at the bar we went to after dinner also spotted her a birthday drink. Tell everyone it's the 30th anniversary of your 30th birthday!

[Tennesseer]

Sept 24, 2012 17:57:45 GMT -5 MN-Investor said:

In three months I'm going to turn 60. Yikes! It helps that I have three older sisters who have already hit that number, so it's not quite so scarey.

Having turned 60 last year, I can tell you I felt 'strange' that day for the first few waking minutes but after that, I felt and thought the same way I did the day before when I was 59.

I know I am not nor do I look it, but I still think I am 25 years old.

[cronewitch]

I will be 65 next spring and almost am happy about it. I can get Medicare and have more than enough money to last 30-35 years. Running out of healthy years is bothering me a little I am feeling pressure to do something fast like buy a house in the forest with a view so I can enjoy it for 10-15 years where if I wait I might only enjoy it 5 years so not worth doing. My brothers are retired already and one moved to Mexico at 65 the other bought a summer place at about 63 and works at improving it more than enjoying it. I might want a forest home in the mountains with a view of ships where I can sit on the porch and rock while watching ships pass or deer at the creek. I don't want to be alone doing it and my ISO refuses to retire because he loves his job and has a great boss, I have a great boss too and don't mind working but afraid I will wait too long to start the next phase. Early retirement years should be fun, fishing and camping in a luxury cabin, I hate to skip it and go straight from working to needing to stay near medical care.

[muttleynfelix]

I turned 30 last year. I used the milestone to get back to running and I ran a 5k for my birthday. I also lost 12lbs between September 2011 and April 2012 and then I got knocked up again.

I was kind of looking forward to 30. A lot of people still consider people in their 20s kids, and I certainly wasn't. I have a career that pays well, a husband, and a child. I was kind of glad to reach the milestone where under no circumstances am I still a kid. I'm still one of the youngest people I work with, but at least by reaching 30 I can at least say I'm not young, you are just old.

My 21st birthday was the last real celebration we did. On my 21st b-day (which was the day before THanksgiving), my parents took me out for pizza and beer and then out to see the new James Bond movie. Then my dad took me to the bar. Then over my christmas break my sister, her DH, and her SIL/BIL took me out to a club and we danced the night away.

My least favorite birthday was my 25th b-day. I'd been working for a while, been married for a little over a year, and I just felt a little out of place. There is a theory about the 1/4 life crisis and I think there is definately something to that. It was also the first time that I had not spent Thanksgiving with my parents (and therefore celebrated my birthday with my parents). My DH and I were building a house and we were suppose to be moved in and we weren't. We ended up helping his brother re-roof his garage all Thanksgiving weekend and we didn't do ANYTHING. I was a little peeved.

[movingforward]

I will turn 40 in March. I have mixed emotions about it. In a way I am actually looking forward to it. My 30's weren't really all that great as I had a lot of personal issues going on, including the lose of my mom which was a complete shock to my system and a job lose. As I am moving toward 40 I now have a job I really like (and can see myself possibly retiring from), have more money in the bank than I have ever had before with extra to enjoy traveling, and when people meet me they think I am about 10 yrs younger than I actually am (hope to keep that trend going but who knows). In way turning 40 is kind of exciting but then sometimes I stop and think OMG I am going to be 40 - where did my life go! Also, once I turn 40 I will have to come up with a new screen name... the pressure

[Tennesseer]

Usetobe40?

[Waffle]

I probably shouldn't admit to this - but I spent most of my 39th year dreading 40. And then I turned 40 and thought, well darn it this is no different than 39! No birthday before or since has bothered me. I refuse to let another birthday bother me.

[kent]

I've had a LOT of birthdays and none of them bothered me at all considering the alternative....I will soon turn <<censored>> and not worried about this one either.

[movingforward]

Geez, Kent I thought only women censored their age

Adorable puppy avatar by the way...

[Deleted]

I'm turning 30 at the end of November. To celebrate, DH and I are spending a weekend in AC.... then the next weekend, I'm wearing a hot dress and me and my girlfriends are getting our dance and drink on!

[Deleted]

For me turning 30 was depressing. Turning 40 was fine. Since then, I haven't really given a whole lot of thought to birthdays except that they come and go. As for milestones ;D at my age, every one of them is a milestone!

[Otto the Orange]

40 isn't bad, its the new 20

[Deleted]

Sept 29, 2012 7:47:46 GMT -5 Otto the Orange said:

40 isn't bad, its the new 20

Does that mean that 72 is the new 36?

[Deleted]

I turn 60 in February and it's not that big a deal to me. All I have to do is read the obituaries about women in their 50s who died "after a courageous 4-year battle with cancer" to know how fortunate I am.

What really changed my perspective was getting involved the the local corporate athletic competition when I turned 50. They quickly found that I could rack up big points in the endurance events (mile run, 1/2 mile run, 200m swim, the sprint triathlon) where there was very little competition in my age group. I'm fitter than I have been in years and when I left my last employer to join another local company that's also a big participant, they were jokingly accused of poaching me for their team. My face still looks 60 and my hair is an honest silver-grey, but I don't feel like I'm going downhill yet.