I did not want to do today's LOAD prompt. It is Sunday. Usually on Sunday's, I listen to my favorite music radio program and do mixed media, cards or some other crafty experimental thing. In other words, I play even more than usual.
Today's prompt was to scrap about something difficult in your life. That does not fit into my fun day plans. So I did the best I could and made a mixed media page. My topic is turning 50 in a couple of months.
The hard part was doing the journaling. That is where I had to sit down and put into words the anxiety of this milestone. So I typed and typed and typed.
A few years ago I remember hearing about a study that said that women were much happier in their 50's than in any other time in their life. If you are one of those women, please let me know and tell me the secret. Seriously. Because I haven't met many of these women or at least I don't think I have. Maybe we just all have a tendency to talk about problems and not share the joys but 50 something isn't sounding so good. Hot flashes, expanding waistlines, thinning hair, all kinds of far more serious health problems, the challenges of caring for our aging parents, shrinking retirement accounts, etc. etc. My Mother keeps me up to date on the 'sick, dead and dying' report as I call it. She has taken to telling me about everyone she was ever remotely acquainted with that is in the hospital or has died. She has turned into her Mother, I do NOT want to do that!
As I went on and on in my journaling, I realized that most of my anxiety is because I'm happy NOW. I don't want things to change as I fear these aforementioned problems happening to me. I've already seen changes in my body I'm not too excited about. What's next? (And thus the title for the page.)
And so I realized that I need a good dose of Franklin Roosevelt's most famous advice - "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." So it wasn't such a bad prompt. It made me think about something that has been nagging at me for awhile. Hopefully, it will also make me appreciate.
And if you have advice for handling big birthdays, please share. I'm all ears. My eyesight and hearing haven't totally gone yet :-)
For the page, I used up a lot of number Thickers which I hardly ever use on the background. The technque is from Celene Navarro from Two Peas. In addition to mist as she suggested, I used some gelatos for more color. Also I stampted and stenciled with black paint and a piece of drawer liner I got at the dollar store.
The black plastic snowflakes are back for embellishment.
Thanks for visiting today and going on a journey of a less than fun topic.
I too will turn 50 this year, in August, and it is a bittersweet event to me as well. But as I looked at your page, I really like it. All the numbers you used, they all to me aleast, represent birthdays or ages we have been,or if God willing, will be. And some years have been good ones and some not so good, but through it all God has brought us through or will stay with us and get us there. And this page reminds of that and how many blessings I have to be thankful for. Thanks so much for sharing this time in your life and hope you have the best birthday yet. I love, love the page. Lisa C., Henderson, TN.
ReplyDeleteI turned 50 in May I was glad to see another birthday come and ago. I hope that I will see many more come and go. Yes some years have been really good and some have been to so good. I love your page
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great page!!
ReplyDeleteI love that you take Sunday as your fun day :)
As for turning 50…Age is just a number….I have been saying I am 47 for the last year and here I AM turning 47 this year, lol.
But ask me my opinion on turning 50 in a few years ;)
I have an aunt that had to call my mom and tell her everyone who had passed away. Or when I went to visit her, she would tell me to tell my mom who had passed away.
I was a kid, so would come home from seeing her (she lived out of province) and tell my mom that people she knew died….I never did remember who.
But my mom would say…I probably don't even know or remember them.
You are a positive person, you will rock 50 :)
well your pg looks fabulous & so are your ideas! i haven't discovered the secret to big birthdays yet, but i do know creating helps me feel better. here's to your beautiful life!
ReplyDeleteSuper cool page! I love the colors you used and the random numbers. Really fun. I wish I had some wisdom about the milestone birthdays but all I can say is just get through it. I had a big birthday last year - 40 - and it was hard on me because I'm still hoping Mr. Right will show up one of these days so I can have a family before Mother Nature gives up on me. And then I realized...it's not something I really have control over. The only thing I do have control over is how I deal with it and what I do about it. That's all I can say for you, just focus on what you can control and take steps to do the things that make you happy and try not to worry about the rest. :)
ReplyDelete