And the next thing I knew - Day 3 topic of the 30M2D Writing Challenge

The 30M2D writing challenge topic is "And the next thing I knew"  I really do take this creative writing thing seriously *coughs suspiciously* but somehow I get distracted and I branch off into unknown realms.  I swear  it really is unintended.  Link to the others, following Nicky and Mike (the WWFC hosts of this challenge), like lemmings over a cliff - weworkforcheese.

1959 - the year I was born.  While it was not all innocence and wonder in the real world, I lived a sheltered drama-free life.

The sixties brought great music and civil rights turmoil.  I clomped through time wearing my cateye glasses and wishing my parents would let me have a dog, or a horse.

The seventies ushered in bad fashion and the height of the first (and only) televised war in Viet Nam.  I didn't understand why there were protests against our own soldiers.

My recollection of the eighties was permed hair, the Cosby Show and Madonna.  Wish I could remember more of that decade - but I don't.

By the nineties, I was a parent and my world revolved around raising my children.  There were soccer games and Little League playoffs.  I wore my mom jeans.  Jobs were plentiful and money was rolling in.

Fast forward to 2013 - at lunch with an dear friend who is my same age, I asked her, "Did you ever think your life would be like this in your 50s?"  Her response was an emphatic "No."  Her background is in the art realm and once owned a successful gallery.  She is now a state worker.

I can speak for women in the 50+ range, all through our careers we were valued, sought after - jobs were there for the taking.  Now?  We are lucky to even have a job, let alone one with benefits, and the benefits have been reduced.  Some of my friends are married to husbands older (or much older) than themselves and rather being able to look forward to retiring and traveling with their partner, they face years of continued work mainly for the continuation of medical benefits.

So where am I headed with this Debbie Downer post?  It all comes down to - the next thing you know, you are 50 years old and the only thing constant is change.