Turning 30 didn't bother me at all, but 40? Dammit! That's old. How could *I* be 40 years old any way? Most of the time I feel like a somewhat mature 15 year old.
To ease the pain and to focus on something positive and fun, I decided to make a list of forty things I wished to accomplish during the coming year. Big goals, small goals, silly goals, serious goals. I put it all on the list.
Well, it's been nearly a year. Next month I turn 41.
Geezus, that's almost 50. Anyone else feel a tightening in their chest? Just me?!
Let's take a peak at this rather embarrassing list, and see how it's going.
40 For 40
1 run a half-marathon. DONE! I actually ran two! I did not see that coming. Rite Aid Cleveland Half-Marathon (5/12) and Inland Trail Half-Marathon (11/12).
 | ||||
| Sharing one of the proudest moments of my life with my sons |
3. Start a blog. DONE!
4. Visit Genesee Monastary for a weekend by myself. I had visions of a quiet, reflective Eat Pray Love sort of thing, but the year got away from me.
5. Leave the country. DONE! and I even came back!
 | ||||
| View from my favorite lounge chair in Mexico. |
6.Complete a 5K in under 33 minutes. Close but no cigar. Ran a 33:23 at a race in June. I have one more shot to reach this goal in January, but with the weather variable it's unlikely I will do it.
7. Get a physical. DONE! Hey, this was bigger than it seems. I hadn't been to a doctor in 10 years!
8. Sleep in and not set an alarm. DONE! Pathetic, right? I never get to do this in my real life. Forced myself to do it, and it was glorious.
9. Go zip lining. Didn't get this done by by next summer my youngest son should be over 90lbs which means we can take the kids with us when we do this. Can't wait!
10. Choose and read one classic book that I should have read a long time ago. IN PROGRESS! Reading The Great Gatsby right now. I should be ashamed of myself.
11. Take a yoga class. Ok this one is easy. This should be done.
12. Get a new tattoo. IN PROGRESS! Not at this second, but I have the image selected, and will get it done before my birthday.
 | |||
| My next tattoo. "Family" in Khmer. Plan to go with first font shown. |
14. Get new family portrait done. I need to do this!
15. CENSORED.....and not done ;-)
16. Ride a roller coaster. I haven't done this in years. Sadly, I haven't done it this year either.
17. Grow some vegetables. DONE!
 |
| Small, but it's a start! |
19. Remodel our bedroom. No $. Bummer!
20. Sing karaoke. Ok, this might have been a dumb one to put on my list. I'm not sure there is enough alcohol in the world to coax out the killer rendition of Britney Spears' "I Wanna Go" that lives within me.
21. Complete a Warrior Dash. :( Definitely still on the agenda for Summer 2013.
22. Wear red lipstick. DONE! When I was a child, my face was approximately 50% lips. I had to grow into them. A kid at school used to call me "Twizzler Lips" based on a commercial from the '80s that featured giant floating red lips. Ole Twizzler Lips rocked the red lipstick in 2012.
23. CENSORED and DONE! And, no, I will never tell.
24. Volunteer somewhere with the kids. DONE! Andy and I have made a greater effort to involve the kids in the organizations we care so deeply about.
25. Be the person I know I can be, no excuses. IN PROGRESS, of course.
26. Do something wacky and unexpected. DONE! You should have seen that guy's face when I hit him straight in the kisser with a cocounut cream pie. I kid.
27. Roll down a hill. DONE! Something I so fondly remember from childhood, but hadn't done since. This is the one thing I accomplished and then immediately thought, "I'm way too old for this." I nearly hurled.
 | |||||||
| The Hill That Made Me Sick. Rolling down a hill is a young woman's game! |
29. Take kids to their first pop/rock/hip hop concert. We couldn't find anyone they wanted to see.
30. Make something beautiful with my own two hands. DONE! Got a little crafty in 2012.
31. Try a new food. DONE! I love olives, which I always avoided for some unknown reason. And spelt!
32. Go to Lakeview Cemetery
33. Eat sushi at a legit sushi restaurant. Please don't laugh at me. Back when Andy and I were a young dating couple we ventured into the world's meanest sushi restaurant. We felt so intimidated that we left. We've never been back to one. Still haven't :(
34. Ask for help when I need it and not be ashamed. DONE! This was probably the hardest thing on the entire list for me. I take self-sufficiency to an extreme. I don't like to ask for help or receive help. I love to help others. I know this is a silly way to be, and I'm working on it.
35. Put myself in a situation that makes me uncomfortable and do it any way. DONE!
36. CENSORED - Will be done by my birthday, and no I'm not telling you. ;-)
37. Drink a Martini. DONE. I know, rigth? I'm totally not the worldly woman you thought I was.
38. Attend church on a regular basis. Ugh. My biggest failing this year. We belong to a wonderful Unitarian Universalist Church that is open, loving, tolerant and filled with warm people who share our values. It's a great community and I want - and need - to be more active in it.
 | ||
| Dude! It's the Flaming Chalice, symbol of the UU faith. |
40. Go dancing. I danced my tush off on my 40th birthday, and it's one of my fondest memories of the entire year. When I hear Rihanna's "We Found Love", I'm transported back to the Velvet Dog, dancing and laughing with wonderful friends, and what do you know? 40 doesn't feel so bad after all.
Final Tally
19 goals met!
3 that will definitely be met before my 41st birthday
18 unmet challenges
On the surface this is not a particularly great succees rate. However, I've had a blast trying, and I'm quite sure I've accomplished more comfort-zone-stretching experiences in the last year than if I had not made this list. I'm pretty sure I can knock out a few more of these in the next month. Yoga, anyone?
Stay tuned!
No comments:
Post a Comment