When I was a young girl, I thought staying up all night long was the ultimate grown-up privilege.

As a teen, I routinely went to bed at one or two in the morning. At the time, it seemed like I’d be missing something if I didn’t stay up.

As a grown up, I know the answer – what I missed was sleep.

The years after the age of 50 are supposed to be the “golden years.” Ads in magazines picture laughing silver-haired couples skiing, drinking wine in a beautiful location or relaxing in an tropical paradise.

Reality is a little bit different.

For many, the golden years are spent in doctors’ offices, trying to figure out why the aches and pains we shrugged off for decades now affect our daily living.

No more eating burgers and fries without a care in the world. We know about bifocals, dentures, walkers, grip bars in the shower and how to navigate the unbelievably complicated Medicaid system.

Many people are able to do all the activities they did when they were in their 30’s, and their activity level is right up there with the young ‘uns.

They hike, go mountain climbing, and ride motorcycles without a care in the world. I marvel at pictures of people my age who are still canoeing down treacherous rivers while so many of us are cautious to a fault.

Even for those who are reluctant to go zip lining, there’s quite a few benefits for those on the other side of 50 and we don’t have to take karate classes to live it up.

First, we don’t care about what other people think.

Let’s start with our hair. Want to go all grey? No problem. We’ve made the color gray sound exotic. It’s platinum, silver or white.

Want to wear black socks with sandals? Go ahead. Nobody cares and nobody’s looking. In fact, if you want to wear support hose with shorts and sneakers, go right ahead. At our age, we’ve learned that comfort and practicality is what counts.

Want to play music loud? Go right ahead. Crank Neil Diamond and Paul McCartney up and sing along. Those guys are cool and retro now, so you’ll fit right in with the younger crowd.

We’ve mastered the best way to handle the whiners and complainers. When I was younger, I’d gripe to my friends about what this one had done to me or that one had said.

Not anymore.

I don’t care if they like me or don’t like me.

They want to whine and complain? I’m sorry they don’t have any other way to cope with life other than to gossip or talk about people behind their backs. I thank the heavens I’m not that negative or petty.

Don’t feel like cooking? Not a problem. The kids are grown, and Door Dash or Grub Hub bring us what we want to eat without our having to leave the recliner in the living room. Best of all, most of us are perfectly content with leftovers.

Despite the things my knees refuse to do these days, life is great. I can sing, think, dream, laugh, cry and celebrate. I can get where I want to go, whether it’s walking or driving.

I’ll never read “War and Peace,” I won’t learn how to macrame, nor will I attempt bungee jumping. I read what I want to read, attempt new arts and crafts if they look like fun and refuse to try and prove anything to anybody.

These are the golden years. There’s a little bit of tarnish in some spots, but all in all, life is good.

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.