Turning 50

Laurie, 53, Biloxi, MS

 

It was one of those dreaded birthday milestones and I admit that the closer it got the more I dreaded it. When you couple that with the fact that our son had just been deployed to Afghanistan with the Army, this was proving to be one of the worst birthdays I have ever known. Then my husband decided that I should have a special gift and made all the arrangements to take us and our other son and his wife to Disney World.

At first I was reluctant to go as I felt as if I were too old to go (the over-the-hill feeling was nicely settling in!) He refused to take no for an answer though, and a day before my birthday found the four of us on a plane headed to Florida. As we checked into the Grand Floridian, I could begin to feel that "too old to have fun" feeling begin to thaw a little. We checked in and then all of us went over to Disney World. It was just like all the commercials I had ever seen, where everyone you met and everyone who worked there smiled at you. I could not help but smile back and at each step, I could feel the 50-year-old become a 5-year-old little girl come to the surface. I was filled with the awe and enchantment of a child and the appreciation of an adult.

I woke up on my 50th birthday to a gift from my husband of a silver slipper charm with my birthstone inside. I truly did feel like Cinderella and the rest of the day and evening was filled with fun, happiness, love, and the most fun I have ever had. I realized, thanks to Disney, that turning 50 meant nothing at all, as any age is the perfect age when you can still feel the awe of a child and the walking endurance of an adult. Thank you, Disney, for bringing out the little girl in me that I thought was lost forever.