My name is Laura and I turned 50 on 10th February 2018. I created this blog with the idea that setting out everything within these pages will help enable me to:
- Turn my mid life dreams into reality
- Record the events of the year
- Concentrate on issues that are important to me
- Inspire others and show that life really is what you make it
I was born in London and have spent my entire 50 years living in the UK. Mostly in the same area about 40 miles from London. Dreams of travel, adventure and excitement were never far from my mind providing a tantalising backdrop to the archetype path of leaving school at 17, working in an office, getting married, having children…
While I’m probably a fairly average UK middle aged person, I am enormously grateful for what I have in my life whilst keeping this in mind at all times:
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Ghandi
To prove the last point above, the one about life being what you make it… I really am an average person. I didn’t go to university when I left school and I’ve never had anything handed to me on any kind of plate; paper, silver, plastic or otherwise.
But what I do have is shed loads of determination when I set out to achieve anything. In the late 1990’s while my children were young and my career had reached the dizzy heights of ‘Shelf Stacker’ at the local supermarket, I began an Open University degree. Fifteen years of study and perseverance later and I had reached the academic level of Masters degree, with a Merit for my MBA.
All of this while bringing up a family, working full time and often surviving on about 5 hours sleep. (And dealing with the other s*** life throws at you… sometimes self inflicted I have to say…)
I live with my (second) husband Chris in a modern apartment which is a lifestyle choice. Rather than slogging away with a supersize mortgage to pay for a supersize house, we moved into our apartment in 2013 and spend our lives (and money) mostly on travel.
The burning desire to ‘see the world and have adventures’ is still burning bright despite taking a year out and spending all of 2016 travelling around the world. I am a self confessed travel addict:
“But secretly you’re like a junkie, thinking ahead to the next hit. There’s always somewhere else to go and another way to get there.”
I would like nothing more than to spend my life as a vagabond, living a nomadic lifestyle exploring the world in a camper van… driving through the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. But for now, I need to keep this addiction in check and make the most of the opportunities I do have.
Overall I feel incredibly fortunate to have reached 50 years of age with a fantastic husband, son, daughter, step-daughters, parents and parents-in-law. And some amazing friends. And my health. These are truly the most precious aspects of my life.
Please feel free to leave any comments and do follow me on my journey into the life of a 50 year old!
Fifty at Fifty 