So I know the title of my blog is Miami After 40, but my birthday is coming soon and I realize I'll be just three years shy of the big FIVE - O. So I've been testing the reactions of people when I say I'm 50. Which to this point has been great. Of course I don't really act 50, but I do strive to act at least 40 which out of my over 4 decades on this planet, the time after 40 has been the most fun.
My most recent experiment was at Haulover Beach. Which in case you don't know is a "naturist" beach. The naked truth of the matter is that if you're naked, it is the small lies that can be told to help you keep a small shred of dignity. Also, by 50 you should have dignity down pat. So I'm hanging out waist deep in the ocean, excuse all the puns, and a very cute very 34 year old Colombian started chatting me up. He was from Medellin, some kind of government worker pretty in the way only Colombian men can be. We chatted about the weather, the surf, and he asked my age......
"50, cinquenta," I replied in Spanish. A broad grin crossed his face, he wore braces.
No really, braces, I really felt dirty.
No really, braces, I really felt dirty.
"Ay Papi, mejor todavia". I know this is lost in translation, but "oh Daddy, that's even better" is just what an aging gay man wants to hear at the nudist beach, or the spa, or just about anywhere. Coming from a cute young man with braces, my flagging self-esteem was restored.
I'm going to comfort myself in the belief that in Latino culture, a "man of a certain age" is considered "sexy".
The next "50 bomb" I dropped was at a Critical Mass bike ride last month. It was a long ride and towards the end I split off to go home. A young guy came up to me and mentioned my bike and asked how often I worked out. He then asked my age.....I hesitated....then said 50 . "Wow Dude, you look awesome." I am glad he didn't finish that sentence with the demoralizing "....for fifty". So it's going well, 50 seems almost magical at this point.
It's good because most things are "baked in" by 50. I don't know if my ass will fall any farther in the next three years, or that crows feet will set-in if I don't start moisturizing. I am at the point where making big changes are starting to feel a bit "too late in the game" and truthfully I don't want to make them. My favorite aspect of the backside of 40 is just the resiliency, stuff is going to happen, but I know I'll get through it. Saying "late 40s"seems kinda sad....it's like being a "tweener" too old for some stuff, but too young for other, better things. I can hardly wait to start writing my "Miami after 50" blog.
I'm going to comfort myself in the belief that in Latino culture, a "man of a certain age" is considered "sexy".
The next "50 bomb" I dropped was at a Critical Mass bike ride last month. It was a long ride and towards the end I split off to go home. A young guy came up to me and mentioned my bike and asked how often I worked out. He then asked my age.....I hesitated....then said 50 . "Wow Dude, you look awesome." I am glad he didn't finish that sentence with the demoralizing "....for fifty". So it's going well, 50 seems almost magical at this point.It's good because most things are "baked in" by 50. I don't know if my ass will fall any farther in the next three years, or that crows feet will set-in if I don't start moisturizing. I am at the point where making big changes are starting to feel a bit "too late in the game" and truthfully I don't want to make them. My favorite aspect of the backside of 40 is just the resiliency, stuff is going to happen, but I know I'll get through it. Saying "late 40s"seems kinda sad....it's like being a "tweener" too old for some stuff, but too young for other, better things. I can hardly wait to start writing my "Miami after 50" blog.
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