Celebrating you, your friends and perhaps even your spouse if there’s a spouse in the picture! What are we celebrating? Why birthdays and anniversaries of course! Join us as we explore ways to celebrate turning anything 50+ because as far as we’re concerned, anything over 50 is a gift all by itself!
Turning 50
Many tend to view “decade” birthdays as milestones. Turning 50 is the start, for many, of the “senior” adventure. Typically that’s because in our 20’s we thought about things like career and in our 30’s, perhaps our thoughts turned to starting a family. In our 40’s we finally had our feet firmly planted, careers were in full swing and maybe we had a child or two to focus our attention on. Then, suddenly you find yourself turning 50. What about “me” you ask? For lots of folks, the 50’s are the time they start to think about what they want to do in life; whether that’s travel, learning a new skill, or maybe even a change of career. Some are entering this new phase of life without a partner and are looking for a friend to spend time with as they navigate “the second half” of life. If this sounds like you – make sure 50 is a departure from anything else you’ve ever done and celebrate in style – whatever your style is! Draw inspiration from some of the many blogs we’ve posted on great destination travel spots and awesome countries to visit.
Now you’re 60
This is the age you might start thinking about retirement and maybe planning to tick items off that bucket list you’ve been keeping. Perhaps you have some grandchildren whom you now get to spend time with. We hear “grandparenting” is all about the fun parts of being a parent with none of the discipline, guilt or chores associated with parenting! Maybe you agree? Hopefully at 60+ you still have lots of “fuel left in the tank” and now is the time to really enjoy life!
Sliding in to 70….
At this point, we’re reminded of the famous comedian George Carlin’s routine where he addresses the topic of aging. When we are younger he says, we’ add time to our birthdays: we’re 4 ½ years old or we’re “almost” 10. As a teen we add even more years he says, saying that “we’re gonna be 16” even though right now we’re only 13. Then we “become” 21, “turn” 30 and next we’re “pushing 40.” Suddenly we “reach” 50, “make it” to 60 and ‘HIT” 70 .kind of like hitting a brick wall! All those positives around aging have, according to George, turned into negative statements. Don’t let that be you. If you’ve always done yoga but it’s getting a bit too much, switch to chair yoga. Arthritis pain got you down? Start swimming! There’s less pain on the joints and no matter how much you weigh, you’re weightless in water!
Good news
If your turning 80 or better yet 90 then we have another way for you to celebrate that’s rather regal or presidential in nature, depending on where you live. That’s right – it’s time to receive accolades from your biggest fans: the Queen of England, The President of the United States or the Prime Minister of Canada. At Amintro we’re not just about developing local friendships. Nope – we want you to have “friends in high places” too!
For our American Readers
Ever wanted to receive some mail from The White House? Now you can. If you are a Veteran, the President will send you a birthday card when you turn 70 years old. For all other American citizens, turning 80 is a reason to celebrate and thereafter, the Prez will send you a birthday card every 5 years until you turn 100! At that point, you’ve earned the right to receive a card every year. If you are lucky enough to have had a love story last fifty years or more, you can also expect to receive anniversary congratulations.
For our Canadian Readers
You, my friends, have a number of options open to you. Take your pick from receiving greetings from the Lieutenant Governor of the province in which you reside, birthday greetings from the Prime Minister or – if you are turning 100 or more – a birthday congratulatory note from the Queen! Even the Premier of your province will get in on the action if you let him or her know that your birthday is imminent. Here’s how it works using Ontario as our example:
- The Queen – will send birthday greetings to those who are 100+ and anniversary greetings to those married for 60+ years
- Lieutenant Governor – birthday cards for those aged 90 or more, anniversary kudos for couples celebrating 50+
- PM – You only need to be turning 65 to get a card from the PM and make it to your Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary to be celebrated for that achievement.
- Premier of Ontario – you will receive greetings at 80+ years and if you are married for 40 or more years.
*Each of the above will send further greetings at regular intervals. Check out the “world wide web” for how to apply and what information you’ll need to include.
So that’s it. You have no excuse not to party! It’s time to get your celebration on. Age is just a number but hey – if your number is a special one, why not celebrate it in a special way? With “friends in high places” you can! Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary and oh yeah – Happy Friends Day (which, by the way – takes place July 30th!)