Amazing Over 50’s – Darlene Foster

Once again I am excited to introduce another guest to my series:

Amazing over 50’s

I am inviting and featuring ‘Mid-lifers’ who are enjoying life over 50 and who are happy to shout out about great health, fitness, lifestyles, work or their achievements etc, but more importantly who are embracing this time of their lives with pride and open arms.

This month I’m happy to introduce Darlene Foster as my seventeenth guest.  Darlene is an author and blogger.

Welcome to Loving The Fifty Something, Darlene

Can I ask you to tell us a little about yourself  

Of course you can, but you might be sorry. I’ll try to keep it to the Readers Digest version. I was brought up on a prairie ranch in southern Alberta, Canada. I spent a lot of time daydreaming and making up stories as a child. I dreamt of becoming a teacher, writing books, travelling the world and meeting interesting people. But as the saying goes, life happens when you’re making other plans.

I married young, raised two fabulous children and before I knew it was the proud grandmother of four and great-grandmother of two. At the same time, I worked full time in retail management, human resources, recruitment and employment counselling, took many courses, and dabbled in writing. 

When I was invited to visit a friend in the United Arab Emirates soon after I turned 50, I was overjoyed. This amazing trip became the basis for my first children’s book, Amanda in Arabia-The Perfume Flask. Since then I have travelled to many other wonderful places and have written six more books in the series based on my travels. 

I am now retired from my day job and when I’m not travelling, I divide my time between the west coast of Canada and the Costa Blanca, Spain with my husband and entertaining rescue dog, Dot. I believe that with a positive attitude and plenty of hard work, everyone is capable of making their dreams come true.

How wonderful that you made your dreams come true! That’s an inspiration in itself, Darlene.

Do you remember what turning 50 meant to you and how you feel now in relation?

I am not sure why, but I was afraid of turning 50 and dreaded it. Which was pointless as it turned out to be the best thing that happened to me. It was after I turned 50 that I started to do some serious travelling, received a teaching certificate by distance learning, changed to a rewarding career as an employment counsellor and ESL teacher, and began to write in earnest resulting in publication. It really was the turning point in my adult life. I didn’t have a big party, but I should have. 

Do you like to stay fit and healthy and if so how do you stay fit and healthy?

I believe in looking after my health, although I’m not a very athletic person. I watch what I eat for the most part. I’m a vegetarian so I eat more than the recommended five to seven servings of fresh vegetables and fruit a day. Of course, I still have dessert once in a while and I have a weakness for chocolate. I do yoga and walk my dog three times a day for exercise. I get plenty of fresh air and sunshine as I live in Spain and the weather is just about always pleasant. It’s easy to lead a healthy lifestyle on the Costa Blanca of Spain. 

What are the things you are most proud of achieving after turning 50?

I am proud of pursuing my dreams such as writing and publishing eight books, completing a Certificate of Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Saskatchewan enabling me to be an ESL Teacher, facilitating Job Search and Life Skills workshops assisting unemployed individuals to obtain employment, travelling to many amazing places and moving to Spain – all after turning 50. One of my proudest moments was returning to my old school and doing a presentation of my books and writing life. I’m proud of being able to step out of my comfort zone and try new things. My grandson calls me “supermegawoman”. I’m proud of that too. 

That’s a lot to be proud of, Darlene!  Are there any messages or advice you’d like to give to people who are about to turn 50?

Embrace this awesome time of your life. This is when the world finally takes notice of you and recognizes your contribution. This is the time to use that self-confidence you have gained over the years of life experience and just go for it. To be honest, this is the time when you no longer care about what others think and just do it your way. Live, love, laugh and don’t forget to dance and eat chocolate once in a while. Life is good!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my thoughts on being 50 plus.

You’ve been another inspiring over 50’s guest, Darlene, Thank you for showing that dreams can come true.

If you’d like to check out Darlene’s books, all links are below:

Amazon.com     Amazon.ca    Amazon.uk    Kobo    Waterstones    Barnes and Noble

Chapters/Indigo    Book Depository

If you’d like to connect with Darlene, her links are below:

Facebook    Twitter    Instagram     Website    Blog    Goodreads    Amazon author page