50th birthday

It must seem as though Adventure Girl isn't very adventurous. There have been no posts for a very long time. But it's just that I've been out adventuring, not at home with my computer. Back in May I had the very big adventure of turning 50. It still doesn't compute in my brain and I'm thankful for that. I just don't feel 50, or at least what my preconceived notions of 50 lead me to believe I should be feeling. When I was a kid 50 was matronly. Mom hair and a neck chain for the reading glasses, kids in tow and hip spread. Well, I've had a little hip sag due to gravity but not spread at least. And thank goodness I had the presence of mind to realize at an early age that I was entirely too selfish to have children. I absolutely love all my nieces, nephews and friend's kids but I can't even begin to fathom having any myself. The mom club is something I never aspired to. Well, maybe for about 45 minutes when I was 38 years old, but I quickly snapped out of it. If I had children, would I have done what I did to celebrate my 50th birthday? Or would I have felt that I had too much responsibility to risk life and limb? Eh, who knows, I may have strapped a kid to my belly and done it anyway. What I did was jump out of an airplane and it was the most exciting thing I've ever done; at least for a short term event. I wasn't nervous. I had no fear. But when I sat in the doorway of the plane I had a fleeting millisecond of "what the fuck?" and then I was gone and screaming. It was a good thing there was someone strapped to my back that was in control of the situation because I lost all brain function and would never have thought to pull a cord. It was an entirely sensory experience. Adrenalin on overload. Speed, wind, visual amazement. I yelled with my mouth wide open in a silly stretched out grin almost the entire time. When the chute finally opened and we slowed down my lips were stuck to my teeth because the wind had completely dried my mouth out. We landed easily, smoothly taking a few steps to a stop and I was out of the chute, unhooked from my handler before I knew what was happening. I didn't feel that the jump went by too quickly as I had expected it to. We jumped from 14,000 feet, free falling for a full minute at 120 miles per hour. Then spent another 4 minutes gently gliding to the ground while viewing all of the North Shore of Oahu. It was a perfect way to begin being 50. I would definitely jump again.