Sherri McDonald

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING YOUR AGE?
All the experiences that I’ve been able to have so far. I’ve been able to raise three kids, I’ve had a lot of life and I hopefully have a lot ahead of me too

WHAT HARDSHIPS HAVE YOU ENDURED THAT YOU FEEL HAVE MADE YOU STRONGER?
Getting divorced with three small kids, hands down that’s it.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
Having a positive attitude.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE?
Beach vacations, I have taken my kids to the beach every year for a good 25 years, even when I didn’t have enough money. It has created a lot of memories for us.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?
My grandmother’s wedding ring and clip-on earrings which I received after she passed away

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING YOU HAVE CHECKED OFF YOUR BUCKET LIST?
I don’t know if it’s a bucket list, but I wanted three kids once I had my first one. Then getting my CPA exam. And having a group of friends, I now have a great group of friends I do things with, dance, play pickleball, go to dinner.

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF PERFECT HAPPINESS?
I think it’s just being peaceful, I’m generally a happy person. Perfect happiness is within yourself, to be 50 and have the capacity and time to think about that. When I was younger, I was busy taking the kids where they needed to be and never took the time to really think about happiness.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
Friendships take effort and it’s ok to be the one to put in the effort instead of waiting for someone else to invite you. You can create and develop those friendships, it’s not something that someone else just has, they worked to keep those and have them.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF WISDOM FOR YOUNGER WOMEN?
Try lots of things in your life, and you don’t have to be perfect.

WHAT IS A TRAIT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?
Being non-judgmental, just being open to other people.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO OR FAVORITE QUOTE?
You’re only as young as you feel.

WHAT DO YOU MOST VALUE IN YOUR FRIENDS?
Honesty and friends who are themselves and can tell you what they think. Who don’t expect you to be doing or thinking the same way as them. Friends who can enjoy you for who you are. I have an eclectic group of friends; they are not all the same but they are very accepting. And they dance!

HOW DID YOU CHANGE OVER THE YEARS?
I’ve become less judgmental, now I realize that in my 20’s I thought I knew it all and now I know that I don’t know it all. Over the years, my kids have taught me to see the world through their eyes. My youngest asked a lot of questions and I would say oh I don’t know, I learned that their perspectives are valuable. It didn’t matter what age they were, I had something to learn from them.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
When I was younger, I probably would have given you a list. But to have the freedom to just live life without being concerned with what you’re going to eat or not, that would be good.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS?
That they learn to accept themselves and reach for what they want in life. And not feel limited, they can go out there and try whatever they want to try without fearing judgement or approval from others. To know that they could go down a path and they don’t have to stick with that forever. They can change and they can do something else.

WHAT BRINGS YOU THE MOST JOY AT THIS AGE?
I think that changes, and I want it to change the more different experiences I have. Right now, I am taking ballroom dancing lessons. At first, I thought I might meet a guy, that was my first reason and that didn’t happen. Then I decided to take private dance lessons. It’s fun to work on something. I was a gymnast as a child and always had a goal, something to work for. I’ve worked out my whole life and didn’t realize how technical dance is. I also took dance classes to become more confident. Now my friend group wants to take dance lessons, salsa, and 2-step. So that might be fun, to learn something new, and with a group of friends, it’s more fun than taking private lessons by myself. I’m looking forward to that.

WHAT IS YOUR SUPERPOWER?
My superpower was getting my three kids where they needed to be, to all their lessons by myself. To be calm and organized. I do that at work to, think about what’s the end goal, what do you have or need to get it done, and how can we make the most of our time to get things done.

DO YOU LIKE BEING 40+?
Yes, I liked being in my 20s, I liked being 30 and 40 because that’s who I was then. I wouldn’t go back, 50 is the new 25. I like that my kids are still a part of my life, but they are not the focus of my life. I’m learning to go back and do things I did before I had kids, dance with my friends, go running, read books, and watch movies. I’m back to having the time to build my network of friends.

WHEN IN YOUR LIFE, SO FAR, HAVE YOU FELT MOST CONFIDENT, AND WHY?
There were a couple of different times. When I got divorced and had 3 small kids, that allowed me to go back and get a second degree. I got an accounting degree, and I never would have done that before, I would have thought it would be selfish to take that time to return to school. When I got divorced, I didn’t have an option because I wanted a good life and be able to provide for my kids. Studying and passing the CPA exam was empowering. When I got my first degree I didn’t walk at my graduation, but with my second degree I did, my kids were there, and I felt so proud because it was a challenge to manage my time with 3 kids under the age of 7 all by myself. I’m very proud of that and feel more confident now.