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At 49, I was in the best shape of my life. After nearly two years of dedicated weight training and intense workouts, I felt strong, lean, and unstoppable. I wasn’t just aging—I was defying it. My body felt powerful, my mind was clear, and I was ready for whatever came next, including a career change, though I had no idea what that might be. One thing was certain: my fifties were going to be an exciting, upward climb.
But life had other plans.
Now, seven years past that milestone birthday, I can finally see how the challenges I faced shaped me in ways I never expected. But at the time, it felt like I had lost control of the one thing I had always counted on—my health.
The Unexpected Turns of Life After 50
The first hit came just two months into my fifties. A routine mammogram led to a call-back, which I brushed off—I’d been through false alarms before. But this time was different. As I was about to leave my beige office cubicle for the day, the phone rang. I picked up and heard the words no one ever wants to hear: breast cancer.
That was the moment everything started to change. Within weeks, I had a bilateral mastectomy. The prognosis was good—the surgery removed all traces of cancer—but the experience left me reeling. As I recovered, I tried to focus on the future, convinced that once I healed, I’d get back to normal.
But normal never came.
Six months later, just as I was preparing for a final reconstruction procedure, I broke my foot—a seemingly small injury that completely derailed my efforts to rebuild my strength. By the time I was finally out of the boot, I found out my job was being eliminated. It was a mixed blessing—I wasn’t happy there—but another blow to my sense of stability.
Then came menopause, with its own set of physical changes. My balance was off, my left leg weaker than my right, and even something as simple as walking felt unnatural. I kept telling myself that once I found a new job and started physical therapy, I’d finally get back on track.
Then, COVID shut everything down.
Finding a New Path in Midlife
If I had one advantage, it was that I was used to dealing with uncertainty. A cancer diagnosis changes your outlook fast. The line between what matters and what doesn’t becomes razor-sharp.
The COVID lockdown gave me even more time to rethink my next steps. Getting a full-time job wasn’t even an option. So I walked. Every day, I went out on the nature trail behind our house, trying to clear my mind. That’s when I discovered podcasts. Some entertained me. Some challenged me. A few sparked ideas.
As life slowly returned to normal, I volunteered to produce a podcast for a local women’s group. That experience led to new skills, new connections—even new friends. I found a partially remote part-time job. I started a side hustle as a podcast manager. Little by little, I was shaping a new path. But it was a process, and a slow one.
By 56, I was able to quit my part-time job and retire early. A mix of a pension, planning, and luck made that possible. I hoped my side hustle would grow into something fulfilling—a creative outlet with a little income on the side. But side hustles have a way of becoming too much hustle and not enough joy. Without a schedule, my days drifted. I stayed up too late, slept in too much. My body protested, but I struggled to break the habit.
So I had a radical thought: Maybe I needed a job. Not a career, not a grind—just something to anchor my days and ease the sting of health insurance costs. I even considered the ultimate retiree job: working at Costco. But I couldn’t see myself doing that either. And don’t get me started on the horrors of job hunting after 50—I could write an entire blog series on that.
But luck and timing struck again, and the perfect job found me. Around the same time, I had a revelation about my side hustle. The paid gigs were draining—constant client wrangling, endless follow-ups. Meanwhile, the local podcast I did for free? I loved it. That’s when it hit me: I wanted to approach my creative projects not as a business, but as an act of service.
Why I Started Friends Over 50
That’s what led me here—to this blog.
This space is where I’ll share what I’ve learned about navigating life over 50: adjusting to the empty nest, finding fulfillment in new ways, embracing everyday tech to make life easier, and, of course, reading—because books have always been a part of my story. If this blog grows into something more, great. But what will keep me writing is the creative process itself, the chance to connect, and the hope that my words might help someone else.
Looking back, I was stuck at 50. I wasn’t happy at work, but I clung to it because change felt too risky. In the end, change came anyway, and I had to rebuild my life piece by piece.
I’m sharing my story in hopes of encouraging you to redefine your own path. I feel like I’ve crossed a great divide, and I’m here to tell you it is okay on the other side. Figuring out what fulfillment looks like can be a messy and sometimes difficult process. It often involves trial and error—exploring different paths, realizing some aren’t for you, and pivoting until something clicks. Sometimes it feels like throwing spaghetti at a wall to see what sticks, but every attempt brings you closer to what truly fits. You are worth the effort.
Join the Conversation
I’d love to hear from you! What changes are you making as you enter this next phase of life? Drop a comment below and let’s start a conversation about what it really means to thrive over 50.