Facing Down 50: How Not to Have a Mid-Life Crisis When Turning the Big 5-0! by Kristan Wager

50. I don't care if "50 is the new 40," I am just not a fan of that number. That being said, though, I have decided to face my fears head on and embrace turning 50 next March. But how? How do I learn to love a slower metabolism, gray hairs appearing overnight, mysterious pounds appearing immediately after consuming .003 grams of sugar?

I have decided to take a multi-faceted approach that applies to anytime life gives me more than I want to handle:

• Celebrate the good things. Enjoy family, friends, sunrises, sunsets, laughter.

• Tackle the hard things. "Choose Fit" is my mantra for combating mid-life physical changes.

• Embrace new things. Bucket list items to tackle include skydiving and opening a coffee house.

• Ditch useless things. Cleaning out the clutter of my home so that I am free of the burden of things.

• Meditate on the blessings. Faith is the constant in my life. Now to deliberately treasure the blessings.

Here's looking at you 50! We have a lot to celebrate together!