Fifty has always been one of those major stopping off points in a person's life - sort of a "scenic overview" where you turn around and take note of all the living you've committed so far which brought you to this time and place.
Fifty also seems to be the dividing point in which the "too young" gives way to the "too old." (Do you suppose there's a "just right" age in life? Sort of like the "Goldilocks Memorial Lifetime Moment," and I missed it?) Apparently this fact has not been lost on my good ole "Uncle Sam," who no longer considers me even quasi-useful. Not like those efficient folks running the American Association of Retired Persons, who have certainly wasted no time in getting their birthday greetings out and welcoming me into their fold.
Does life begin again at 50? Like it or not, 50 continues to be seen as a big marker, a dividing line between some sort of before and after in life.
http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bznote53085 86jul28,0,5047305.story?coll=ny-business-print