FEARLESS BY 50
My divorce was the catalyst for 50 life-changing adventures
Slipping the letter into my husband’s passport, I left it at the hotel reception desk. I need space. Don’t call me, it said.
Then I caught the next flight out of Thailand. After yet another argument, I was hysterical.
I thought travelling together might help x us. But it wasn’t working, and during my ight home, I wrote down everything I didn’t like about our marriage.
Aged 47, I moved back in with my parents, into my childhood bedroom.
Some days, I wasn’t sure how I’d get from breakfast to lunchtime.
I felt like a failure, and so lonely, my skin was crawling.
Eventually, I called my friend Richard for advice.
“I’m filming a series for a travel website in Puerto Rico,” he o ered. “How would you feel about co-hosting it?”
A travel blogger myself, I accepted immediately.
Maybe this was just what I needed…
During the packed shooting schedule, I got the opportunity to go scuba diving and zip-lining.
It was strange doing activities without my husband, but I realised it made me feel strong.
“I can’t go back to married life,” I told Mum and Dad back home. “I want to keep travelling.”
I led for divorce and sold my engagement and wedding rings, as well as the apartment where we’d lived.
To fund my trip, I decided to write features on all the places I visited to sell along the way.
Then, seeing something online, I had another ash of inspiration.
My 50th birthday was coming up – I could try 50 new things before 50.
It would make turning the milestone a huge celebration.
At lunch, I told my friend Ronit about it.
“Start now!” she said. “Start what now?” I asked.
“Let me help you order sushi,” she replied.
This was a big deal for me. I had food allergies and was a picky eater. But I relented, and when I put the salmon sashimi she’d chosen into my mouth, I decided it wasn’t the worst thing I’d eaten.
My 50 New Things had officially begun!
I told a few people about my idea, and two weeks later, my friend Zoey, who I’d worked with on a ship as a children’s entertainer, suggested I sail with her as a guest on another cruise.
On board, I discovered a scarily high ropes course with a view of the ocean.
is would be good for my list, I thought.
Terrified, I took deep breaths as I made my way across, almost giving up halfway. en I screamed with excitement at the end!
For my 49th birthday, I combined a series of press trips to create an epic
I felt a failure and so lonely