Fifty??!!

 knit dress and brown brogues from Lovesick

I turned 50 yesterday.  And it was a bit of a shock, let me tell you.  A friend who has passed the 50 mark, whose birthday I share, told me that the anticipation is often worse than the reality, and for me, that was certainly true.  This was a tough one - after all, when you're 50, you can't say you're young any more, regardless of whether the media has led us to believe that 50 is the new 40.  You're not old either; retirement is still years away, but you've definitely crossed over the line of middle-age.  But aside from the stiff joints, menopause, and frequent moments of "now, what did I come out here for?", I have to say that I feel pretty damn lucky.  Lucky to have made it this far with no life-threatening illnesses. Lucky to be able to walk to the store and carry my groceries home.  Lucky to have money to buy that pair of shoes.  Lucky to have wonderful friends and family who love and appreciate me for who I am.

A large part of what has helped to make this birthday more of a cause for celebration, rather than a mourning of lost youth, are the incredible women I have connected with through Ari Cohen's inspiring blog, Advanced Style.  As we age, we need to see women who are older than we are, living healthy, creative, and purposeful lives, and if you doubt they exist, just look through Ari's blog.   I had the good fortune to meet three of them while I was in New York, and as I look forward to the years ahead, people like Jean, Valerie, Judith and Debra will inspire me to open my heart and my life to new ideas and new people, remind me that a sense of humour is an essential and marvelous thing, and, most important of all--to wear what makes me happy!

The "celebrating with the girls" outfit worn later that night.  Fascinator from Fashion Crimes in Toronto, faux leather jacket from Frilly Lizard, swishy skirt from Talize and kickass birthday boots purchased last year on sale at From Mars.  See photo below for a closeup of their total awesomeness.

*thanks to Heather for the birthday outfit photos!