There is also a lot of clinical evidence around this phenomenon. Read a lot of articles right after BD that suggested that 49 is a very dangerous age. Lots of clinicians talking about clients leaving families at 49 for that final "chance at life".
^^^^This. Yes. Holy Crap, in spades. The pending "50" thing with my own W was HUGE. She started talking about it almost nonstop, ohhhh... right about the time she started her descent into WW-ness and then her A with the OM. "I'm going to be 50!" She would lament. "You're not even 49, yet" I (the old me) would say.
Never understimate the impact a pending milestone birthday can have on a woman.
I'd say 50 is just a number, you aren't any different on your 50th bday that you were on the day before it. Yeah, that was the old me. The DBing me validated and moved on.
M(53), W(54),D(19) M-23, T-25 Bomb Drop - Dec.23, 2017 Ring and Piecing since March 2018
