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Last week I had a much needed break from everyday life.\u00a0 We spent three rejuvenating nights camping in Shenandoah National Park, where my cell phone got only spotty service, and the questions of the day included where to hike and where to go for dinner (we didn\u2019t completely<\/em> \u201crough it\u201d). We hiked a bit each day, but there was plenty of time to relax and ponder. Though I did spend some time thinking about and taking notes for an upcoming project, I had time to contemplate life<\/strong> in general and came to some conclusions about an upcoming birthday.<\/p>\n I knew from an early age that I wanted to have a family young and especially now am happy with this choice. While I was too busy with life to even consider the relevance of previous milestone birthdays, I am looking at 50 with anticipation. Yes, it is a big number, but I look around and see how much opportunity still exists, as long as I slow down and pay attention. This camping trip reminded me how important it is and will be to regularly unplug and just be<\/em>. While doing just this, I realized that this birthday really is different.<\/strong><\/p>\n For my entire adult life, I have been a mom. I have looked at things through a mom\u2019s eyes. Everything I did had a potential impact on my children. Now, my actions cause barely a ripple in their lives. I am confident that they don\u2019t need me, at least not in the way they once did. Now my role is more to observe and advise them and to discover what else the world has to offer<\/strong>. Spending a few unscheduled days gave me the opportunity to think about life and to gain a new perspective.<\/p>\n I noticed more bounce in my step last week, a newfound sense of freedom. While one might expect me to be more cautious than when I was young, instead I feel more adventurous<\/strong>. I gleefully climbed among boulders on cliff sides, seeking the best view on each hike we took (and making my husband nervous in the process). Each step made me want to take another, to see and experience more. This is not a crisis; there is no rashness to my actions. I am well aware of my physical limitation. In fact this encourages me to get in better shape so that next time I can go further and do more.<\/p>\n Along with this sense of adventure comes a refusal to listen to those who say I can\u2019t.<\/strong> I\u2019m not going to listen to those who may tell me to act my age, to buy into the \u201cshoulds.\u201d I am going to live my life even if it goes against the norm. Up until this point, \u00a0I have followed the rules, now it is time for me to make them for myself. I skipped over the party years; I was mommying in my twenties, not out at bars, staying until \u201clast call\u201d and dancing on tables. I\u2019m not saying I will do that now (though I\u2019ll leave the option open, if I find the moment is appropriate), but I don\u2019t really care what people would say if I did. Again, this is not a crisis – I have no desire to go back in time. I am quite content here at (almost) 50. I have the wisdom and the confidence to know that age is just a number, that it does not limit what one can do. And I am finding that there is quite a lot that I want to do.<\/p>\n Another side effect of my half-century status: \u00a0I now have zero tolerance for bullshit. Though I believe I still have many years ahead of me, I acknowledge that there is an end. At this point in life, I don\u2019t want to waste time on things that don\u2019t matter<\/strong>. I don\u2019t want to spend time on petty issues that divide people. I don\u2019t have time for hidden agendas or playing games with emotions. I will always strive to be kind, but there is no need to read between the lines with me. If you want to know what I think, ask me; don\u2019t try to divine my thoughts based on my actions (or lack thereof). If I have offended you, tell me. Since there is much I want to do, I can get hyper-focused and be rather direct in my dealings with people. \u00a0Sometimes people make things much more complicated than they are. I don\u2019t want to waste time with misunderstandings.<\/p>\n As the generations below me are adding members, I am also thinking of the strong women who came before me, those who showed me that a woman can do and be anything she wants. I am thinking of the example I want to be to my children and hopefully to their children. Though I know there are still must-dos in my future, I am looking ahead to a great many more opportunities to do what I want <\/em>to do. I am looking at 50 as a new beginning<\/strong>, a time to discover new dreams and work to meet new goals. I am looking forward to seeing how much I can do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last week I had a much needed break from everyday life.\u00a0 We spent three rejuvenating nights camping in Shenandoah National Park, where my cell phone got only spotty service, and the questions of the day included where to hike and where to go for dinner (we didn\u2019t completely \u201crough it\u201d). We hiked a bit each […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[54],"tags":[52,26,53],"class_list":["post-204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-midlife","tag-52","tag-midlife","tag-milestone-birthdays"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7mJoQ-3i","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":209,"url":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/taking-place-family-line\/","url_meta":{"origin":204,"position":0},"title":"Cleaning in the Buff? Maybe Grandma Was On To Something","author":"Kimberly Yavorski","date":"September 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Warning: If the idea of midlife nudity scares you, you might want to turn back now. Maybe it\u2019s because I am now 50, but I find myself thinking about my female ancestors quite a bit lately. I come from a long line of strong women, and most of them, I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "midlife"","block_context":{"text":"midlife","link":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/category\/midlife\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_0003","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/09\/IMG_0003-300x221.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":122,"url":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/old-people-fun\/","url_meta":{"origin":204,"position":1},"title":"Old People Have All the Fun","author":"Kimberly Yavorski","date":"May 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I recently went to see My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. At one point in the movie, Yiayia is dancing in the street, dressed rather oddly.\u00a0 This made me laugh, perhaps more than it should have and I leaned over to my daughter to warn her, \u201cThat will be me\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "midlife"","block_context":{"text":"midlife","link":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/category\/midlife\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"smile-1031894_1280","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/05\/smile-1031894_1280-e1463016458309-149x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":114,"url":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/dinosaur-years-begin\/","url_meta":{"origin":204,"position":2},"title":"And So The Dinosaur Years Begin","author":"Kimberly Yavorski","date":"May 2, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I am turning 50 this year and am beginning to see disturbing signs. Despite the fact that I am college-educated and see myself as an intelligent person, I am more and more being frustrated by what I don\u2019t know, specifically with regards to technology. This is amplified by the ease\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "midlife"","block_context":{"text":"midlife","link":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/category\/midlife\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/05\/IMG_0001.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/05\/IMG_0001.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/05\/IMG_0001.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/05\/IMG_0001.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/05\/IMG_0001.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/05\/IMG_0001.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":187,"url":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/old-people-want-chat-snap-gram\/","url_meta":{"origin":204,"position":3},"title":"Why Do Old People Want to Chat, Snap and Gram?","author":"Kimberly Yavorski","date":"July 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I am seeing conversations about Instagram and Snapchat growing in popularity and outside the typical teen demographic. Since I like being seen as an adult, and not one who is trying to be cool by desperately grasping at things to regain some appearance of youth, for years I have pretty\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "midlife"","block_context":{"text":"midlife","link":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/category\/midlife\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"snapchat filters are fun","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/07\/snapchat-300x232.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41,"url":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/my-worst-fear-came-true-i-inherited-my-grandmothers-chest\/","url_meta":{"origin":204,"position":4},"title":"My Worst Fear Came True \u2013 I Inherited My Grandmother\u2019s Chest","author":"Kimberly Yavorski","date":"March 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"My biggest fear growing up was that someday I would have Grandma\u2019s chest. You may be questioning this statement and picturing some hideous wooden box, however, I am not talking about a Hope Chest or anything of the sort, but the chest she carried beneath her chin and above her\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "family"","block_context":{"text":"family","link":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/category\/family\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/03\/07.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/03\/07.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/03\/07.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/03\/07.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/03\/07.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/03\/07.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":145,"url":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/helicopter-parenting\/","url_meta":{"origin":204,"position":5},"title":"The Unending Vortex of Helicopter Parenting","author":"Kimberly Yavorski","date":"May 24, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Helicopter parenting is here to stay. It has taken hold of society in such a way that there may be no going back. Psychologists are now calling 25 the new entrance to adulthood. For many different reasons, adult children continue (or come back) to live with their parents. College professors\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "education"","block_context":{"text":"education","link":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/category\/education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Publication1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/05\/Publication1-300x232.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208,"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions\/208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"IMG_0200resized\"](\"http:\/\/kimberlyyavorski.com\/inandout\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/08\/IMG_0200resized-225x300.jpg\")
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