Turning 50 is famously characterised on the internet as a time when you are quietly “sorted” into four distinct midlife camps: making sourdough, playing pickleball, becoming a plant parent or taking up strength training. For Coast radio host Jason Reeves, it was none of these.
He had his own list: first broken bone (a snapped pinky toe that required a moon boot), discovering the benefits of seeing a counsellor, Reiki sessions with his wellness practitioner wife Louise and acquiring his first classic car.
“Remember The Dukes of Hazzard?” asks Jason excitedly, from his family’s home in West Auckland. “So I’ve always really wanted the General Lee – a 1969 Dodge Charger. For my 50th, Louise and the kids [Max, 13 and Olly, 10] saved up and bought me my dream car!
“Opening our garage door, I thought I was going to cry… but I laughed because parked there was the tiny toy-car version. Yeah, bittersweet,” he smiles and wipes away a mock tear.
“It’s now sitting in the garage like a little trophy. I look at it and think, ‘One day!’”
Celebrating the big 5-0
Thankfully, Louise, 47, planned an “absolutely awesome” ’70s party for that weekend. She decorated the Herne Bay Petanque Club in an orange-and-brown colour scheme, and scoured op shops for retro props like floral lampshades and rotary phones.
Jason’s family and high school friends came from around New Zealand, and Jason looked unrecognisable in a wig and sunglasses, boogying down to the theme song from The Greatest American Hero.
He enthuses, “All great things come from the ’70s, right? The fact that everyone made time to come was really humbling. There was so much love in the room. The costumes were amazing – everyone went hard out. And we were home by 10pm. Perfect!”
On-air celebrations
On air at work, his Coast breakfast co-hosts and friends Sam Wallace and Toni Street brought in a present for Jason to unwrap – a meat pack from Sam, and from Toni, a private sound bath experience that the trio will all participate in. “Sam suggested I enjoy the meat after the sound bath, so I’m not there making my own sounds!”
Then they surprised him with a This is Your Life-type presentation, where Jason had to guess the voices.
“This beautiful, booming message was played that said, ‘Jason Reeves, you’re my favourite breakfast personality! Happy birthday, mate. Lots of love from Ted.’ It was Graham Henry who’d just been named as an All Blacks selector.
“Jason’s his biggest fan,” points out Louise, who runs her own company, Enlightened Paths.
“I am!” he nods. “When I rang him to say we were naming our dog ‘Ted’ after him, and did we have his blessing, he replied, ‘Jason that would mean more to me than the Rugby World Cup!’ And now he always asks after the dog.”
Reflecting on life at 50
Since Jason’s landmark birthday in May, he’s been reflecting on how by 50, you have experienced a lot of the best and worst life will throw your way, which brings wisdom to enjoy the next decade.
As a self-confessed “people pleaser,” Jason sees his fifties as a time of clearer boundaries and better balance.
“I started going to counselling for the first time at 45 and it’s been incredible,” he admits.
“I’ve realised you don’t have to wait until something is broken. It’s like a warrant of fitness for your mind.
“Because we all get stuck in our own heads at times and none of us has all the answers. Sometimes it’s not even about getting answers – it’s just about looking at things in different ways.
“My lovely counsellor Linda is a straight-shooter. I’ll run things by her and she’ll say, ‘Jason, why are you doing that to yourself? And how’s that helping you? Oh, it’s not? Well, then, why are you doing it?’
“I used to worry about people liking me, but now I’ve learned it’s okay if people don’t. I am enough. And I like me. That’s a nice place to be.”
What really matters now
Now in the third decade of doing radio, the milestone has shifted his focus from audiences and accolades, and he’s realised that a lot of what he used to care about doesn’t actually matter.
“Watching Max becoming a teenager, it’s made me think, ‘Am I being the best version of me that he can be proud of and look up to as a young man?’
“After golfer Ryan Fox won the Open Championship recently, I heard his dad Grant say, ‘Yeah, but the best thing about him is that he’s a really good dad, a really good husband and a really good man.’
“That’s it – when your family says who you’ve become is better than what you’ve won.’ Gee that’s deep! Quick, I need to call my counsellor… ‘Linda, you’re going to love this!’”
Quick fire
At your 50th party, who was the loosest on the dance floor? Toni Street’s husband Matt.
What’s the best thing about being in radio for 32 years? Meeting amazing listeners. Once, when I was doing an afternoon show, a woman rang in and said off-air, “I’ve been waiting for you to come on because I wanted to tell you my news.” She said, “I’m pregnant and you’re the first person I’ve told while I’m waiting for my partner to come home.” It’s a reminder that someone somewhere is having a listen and feeling like you’re a part of their family.
How do you recharge? I walk the dog on Muriwai Beach. Fresh air, my phone’s turned off and it’s time I carve out for myself. I never used to
do that.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
