50 shades of 50

 My 50th birthday is nine months from today.

My "Fifty things to do before I'm 50" List

I actually think I'm looking forward to it...(what's my option?)
I do know growing older is a privilege denied to many.
And it certainly happens to the best of us.

From Garrison Keillor:
When you hit 50, you have to stop complaining about getting old, the strangeness of it, the fascination, the horror, etc, etc,... That was okay in your 30s and 40s, but not that you're older, it's time to shut up on the subject. The term "senior moment," for example, or joking references to your prostate or Alzheimer's: Stifle it. You shouldn't complain about aging for the simple reason that nobody gives a hoot. When people ask how you are, tell them, "Absolutely great. Never better."