On Turning 50 and Other Mundane Things

Solo, Julie & Heather At Moon

I turned 50 years-old this summer. July 27, to be exact. Did I celebrate? Hell, yes, for at least a month. And I’ll keep on celebrating every chance I get. Being that I’m a Leo, I like the attention that a birthday affords, so I make sure, unless one of my friends beats me to it, to have a bang-up birthday every year.

What did I do? Well, for starters, I partied with my Vegas friends at the Palms all night for my birthday here. Then went to L.A. to party with my L.A. friends in August.

How do I do it? How do I find the time or the energy? Well, for starters, I don’t smoke like most of Vegas does. Or most of my family does. And I’m single, no children, and can indulge most of my whims and be spontaneous. I go to the gym when I can. Motivating myself is half the battle when it comes to working out. I only feel 50 when I climb onto the treadmill or elliptical machine, look over, see a cute young female barely breaking a sweat, and I have to work twice as hard as she does to look half as good. I cannot take staying in shape for granted anymore.

So I guess health is more important than ever to me now. Getting a membership card from AARP didn’t help me feel any younger, either. I know they have great programs and discounts, but I don’t need to be reminded over and over that I’m 50 now.

I don’t take for granted things I did when I was younger, like health, friendship, spare time, good weather, being able to get out of bed in the morning. I think I tolerate less b.s. than I did when I was younger. I may be a bit more cynical. I don’t believe every thing I read, or every thing I see. I guess that’s called being skeptical.

My heart still gets broken, but it still mends. I try to maintain a positive attitude through it all: bad relationships, challenging co-workers, crazy drivers. I am developing my photography hobby and in the past nine months have been taking it to a new level. It’s exciting and feeds my creativity…and my soul. Around the time of my birthday I even got to photograph a bunch of beautiful models at a closed shoot at the Palms pool. That was such a treat and a present for me.

I’ll take cues from my late grandmother and great-grandmother and live to the fullest, be wild and crazy, do my own thing, and won’t let anything or anyone stop me. My grandmother was a flapper during the Roaring ‘20’s, lived in Chicago, and cavorted with gangsters. My great-grandmother lived in Ohio, had multiple health issues, and still got on a plane all by herself and flew to see my extended family in L.A. when she was in her eighties and nineties.

Here’s to 50 more…if I’m allowed. In life, there are no guarantees. Only blood, sweat, and tears.

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-VegasJules ( Julie Kasperson ) can be contacted through her facebook page.

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Julie Celebrating Her Birthday With Her L.A. Friends At Club Cobra, North Hollywood, CA.