15 Things You Should Do Before Turning 50

I found this article fun, so I decided to write something for as many of the different things that I’ve actually done, now that I am 70. https://relaxmaven.com/15-things-you-should-do-before-turning-50/

1. Travel the World Together

Traveling with someone you love can bring you closer together and makes for scrapbook-worthy memories.

I did travel to a few places around the world, with someone I loved, from Canada to Las Vegas, Reno and Tahoe. Disneyland, San Francisco (several times), Hawaii (many times), Virgin Islands and Aruba. Not many and not as many as I would have loved to do.

2. Travel the World Alone

But hey, if you don’t have anyone to travel with right now – that’s okay too! Traveling alone is a completely different and rewarding experience that you should definitely do at least once before you turn 50.

I have to admit I have not done this. The closest I’ve come to this was when I scheduled a hotel and various events for a five day stay in Seattle, which is just 100 miles away from home, and which is my hometown. But it’s the first time I’ve stayed in a hotel by myself and I loved it so much, I did it again the following year. It’s scary enough to travel alone, but it’s even scarier to do so when you are disabled. My disability has gotten worse, so I doubt I’ll ever travel again, alone or with a friend or partner.

3. Be Mentored by Someone

Any successful person will tell you that they wouldn’t have gotten to where they are now if not for the help of a mentor. Take the time to find the right one for you and you’ll reap lifetime benefits.

The closest I’ve come to do this is when the Catholic priest of my parish took me under his wing and taught me not only the Catholic Catechism, but also Theology and Biblical history. I was a Catholic for 15 years. I am now an Atheist, but I still study Theology and Biblical history.

4. Mentor Someone

Pay it forward!

I’m proud to say that I mentored several “kids”, teenagers who at one time were children in my daycare. They all went on to work with children in a variety of different venues.

5. Leave a Legacy

Leave something behind that will outlive you – a non-profit organization, a movement, a sustainable business – your imagination is the limit!

The legacy that I hope will outlive me is my genealogy research, which I’ve been working on for 55 years. I’m not sure who will inherit this, if anyone. My son at the moment isn’t too interested in it, but maybe that will change as he gets old. I have one niece and the son of my cousin who might be interested in two of the three basic lines in my family tree. But I don’t know anyone who would want the third, unless my son decides it’s worth working on it.

6. Go Skinny Dipping

You know you want to.

Yes, I did do this. More than once.

7. Give Back

Living for something beyond ourselves gives us a sense of purpose and fulfilment. Bless others with your blessings!

I try to give back what I can and when I can. I was a huge advocate of volunteerism, so much so that in the last two jobs I had, I was a volunteer coordinator and I spent hours each day contacting people and connecting them to volunteer opportunities, all benefitting kids.

8. Start Journaling

Write down your thoughts now, reread them years later, and you’ll be amazed to see how far you’ve come.

I have always been a writer of some kind, starting when I was nine. I kept journals and diaries. I still have three of diaries that I kept in junior high and high school. I wish I had more of them. These days I keep a journal on Scrivener and I consider my blog posts and posts on Facebook as part of my journal.

9. Fall in Love

Seriously, anyone should definitely fall in love at least once before you hit 50. Even if doesn’t end in happy ever after.

I have fallen in love several times. I remember each one fondly.

10. Attend a Religious Event (that’s not your own)

Whether you’re religious or not, try exploring other faith denominations and get different perspectives on spirituality.

I have been to Catholic mass and to a Satanism Black Mass. I’ve been to Pagan Sabbat Circles. I would love to visit a Mosque. I’ve studied Comparative Religion for 25 years, the different Christian denomination, Judaism, Islam, Paganism, Satanism and Buddhism. I think it’s important to learn about religion (and politics) which help to understand the choices people make and why and what makes people tick. Even, or especially, as an Atheist. I would add that learning about other cultures to help give you other insights.

11. Build Your Expertise

Be an expert at something. If someone mentions your name, there should be a skill that they can always count on you for.

I’m not sure I’m an expert at anything. But I have done a lot of studying about childcare and parenting and comparative religion.

12. Live in a Developing Country

If you’re from the western part of the world, the best way to understand cultures different from your own is to immerse yourself in it. Live in a handful of developing nations and see their world through their eyes.

I’ve never done this, but I experienced living in Africa through my niece’s eyes and experience.

13. Be Happy Alone

Learn to love yourself and find happiness in your own company. It’s one of the most freeing things you could do for yourself.

I am quite happy being alone. I can sleep when I want. I can eat when I want. I can be naked if I want.

14. Commit to Healthy Habits

Start building healthy habits as early as you can and you’ll find more things to do after 50.

“Healthy” is such a subjective topic. What one person sees as healthy and what someone else sees as healthy can be very different. Right now getting healthy for me is getting the radiation ulcer healed (now going on two years of trying to get rid of this thing) and getting on top of the peripheral neuropathy. I take a lot of vitamins to try to balance all of the prescription drugs. I use to consider the fact that I didn’t take any medications at all, was “healthy” and I did that for 10 years. Now I have a heart problem which is annoying and frustrating. I knew the leg disability was expected and I couldn’t avoid it. They told me that 30 years ago when I proved to them that I could walk again and get out of that damn wheelchair, the told me that it wouldn’t last and I would be back in the wheelchair. And I am.

Some people think healthy means thin, being able to run a marathon, and eat nothing but green salads. I can eat the green salads and do almost every day, but the car accident took away the rest. I use to run and dance and ice skate, but those things are over now. Hearing that and being told my leg was going to be amputated (although it wasn’t… it took 6 operations to save my leg) put me into a deep depression. And when I’m depressed I eat. And I couldn’t exercise, or run, or dance, or skate. And then getting a Lymphoma cancer tumor on that same leg… twice, didn’t help much.

But I’m cancer free now and have been for 10 years, so maybe that’s healthy. I watch my salt intake for the sake of my heart, so maybe that’s healthy. I removed the filters of my thoughts and voice and that eliminated the night terrors, maybe that’s healthy.

15. Become a Multi-Hyphenated Individual

With our fast-evolving world today, it’s absolutely possible to have more than one career. Be the doctor-lawyer, or award-winning author-speaker you always wanted to be.

Hmm… what could I do for this one. I’m a writer-blogger?