The Land of 50!

Today, I've entered the Land of 50! Why not list 50 things about turning 50?

1. So far, 50 feels fabulous!

2. I'm the heaviest weight I've ever been (at 50), but I feel good!

3. That doesn't mean I don't want to lose a little weight but I've decided to work on what I eat and how I move my body as opposed to restricting food.

4. I've rediscovered hats, headbands, and scrunchies! 

5. Favorite TV series is still Peakie Blinders but I've recently become invested in the characters in Walking Dead. I'm on Season 5.

6. Shabbat Games Nights are my new way to not feel so isolated as a Shabbat walker. My new community is small, and I haven't really been able to participate in Shabbat like at my old synagogue. This is my way to compensate, and I am very much enjoying it.

7. My house is for the most part clean! I have been in a slump, and being run over with clutter has been a thing. Not any more! Not for 50!

8. My biggest immediate goal is to clean and rearrange my bedroom. It looks like a hoarder lives in there. I need that space to be an oasis, and I'm starting it today, on my birthday.

9. Still love the Grateful Dead!

10. Still love feminist punk rock!

11. Still love Billie Holiday!

12. I've been in a relationship now for over a year. He is sweet, and super kind. It is healthy, supportive, and dependable. I really have a lot of love in my heart for him. I feel extremely blessed

13. My two dogs have both driven me nuts and provided so much companionship. Although I complain about them a lot, they are very much loved by me.

14. I'm starting Nach Yomi on January 9th through the Orthodox Union's Women's Initiative. It is taught by women but is open to everyone to study. It is a two-year cycle.

15. My ASL skills have all but disappeared. I will be reconnecting with my teachers hopefully once a month to practice with them, and will be undergoing a combination of online self-study and in-class study through the Deaf, Inc.

16. I am extremely pleased with the upswing of my life right now, so this is my shout-out to my friends who have come through for me in so many ways. My inner circle and second tier are made up of amazing women and men who I am blessed to know.

17. Coffee. Almond milk. Sometimes a shot of hazelnut. Mmmmmmm!

18. Favorite group game: Codenames!

19. Favorite two-person game: Right now it might be Rummicube.

20. Favorite quick thinking group game: Set

21. I still enjoy homeschooling even as it becomes more difficult as the student becomes older.

22. I thoroughly enjoy having two daughters who engage in art. Their paintings, paper work, and pastels grace my walls, and I get such joy from seeing it.

23. I absolutely LOVE living in U City.

24. I love my synagogue, Bais Abe. It is a beautiful community and I learn so much there. Last year, I took the year off of going to services for a variety of reasons. I am looking forward to reconnecting to community davening.

25. I've also become involved with another synagogue called Neve Shalom through the person I am dating. Although I don't attend services because it doesn't fit with my Shabbat halacha or practice, it has a sweet community and I enjoy going to its events when they don't fall on Shabbat.

26. My company, MK, is alive, and we are working really hard to revamp it after a slow, slow year.

27. Mourning never ends. I will say though that I've cried a lot less over the losses I've experienced in last two years. It doesn't mean I love those individuals any less. I think it reflects an adjustment, and a clarity of focus on sweeter moments with them.

28. My 50th year is my year of nourishing myself. Let the care-taking begin!

29. Favorite color: Orange.

30. Drink of choice: Water! I'm rediscovering how delicious spring water is!

31. I can't believe my oldest daughter is preparing for college! It is in my 50s that she will embark on this journey.

32. I've come a long way, baby! I'm making this list before coffee.

33. I love that two of my friends are right down the street from me. Only houses away.

34. It used to be Chopped. Now it is The Great British Bake-off.

35. I derive so much nachas from my youngest daughter's ukulele playing, original songs, and overall connection to music.

37. I love a fire in my fireplace.

38. Nature.

39. Pedicures.

40. Yang 2020.

41. I think I am pretty much done with bras. I may decide to wear from time to time if needed for modesty reason with regard to a particular shirt but I'm pretty much done with them. It's a sensory thing. They really make me feel restricted and uncomfortable.

42. If you think that is too much information, you may not actually know me in person. I'm an open sharer. 

43. Favorite place to get coffee: Cursed Coffee

44. My kids are trying to pressure me into getting a Great Pyr/Anatolian Shephard pup from our favorite rescue. It's tempting. I miss my Motek (my Pyr/Ana mix that died a few years ago right before my birthday) so much.

45. I used to go to the symphony periodically when Boulter was alive, many, many years ago. In another life. It has been lovely to go again, thanks entirely to my guy/my boyfriend who kindly invites me to accompany him. 

46. I treasure my every other week Shabbat with my neighbor. It is an intentional and connected way to bring in Shabbat. 

47. I am looking forward to a year of slow time. Not over-booking life. Cultivating all the pockets of community I have. Connecting more deeply and making more time for my family, both biological and chosen family. 

48. G-d, Hashem, Universal Director, Source of All Things... However you describe, however you experience, however you conceive... 

49. Torah is everywhere. 

50. Love is the answer. Always.