As one of my goals for the Choose Your Own Adventure February theme of complete, I decided I would finally complete my 40 by 40 list. I mean, every day is a day closer I am to 40 and that’s just one less day to work on it (I’m within spitting distance, if spitting distance is just over 2 years) and since the clock is ticking, I got my shit together and created the list.
I really struggled with what to put on it because if I’m being totally honest, I am not a daredevil. I have no less than zero interest in skydiving, bungee jumping, climbing a mountain, riding a motorcycle, or anything that might maim me. Except parasailing but I feel like I’m too fat to do that. In fact, I have a whole separate list devoted to weird reasons I want to lose weight and that’s one that’s on it (let me know if you want that list. I’m happy to share. Meh. Maybe I’ll share it anyway. It’s pretty amusing).
Anyway.
When you’re not thrill seeking, or athletic, and have zero aspirations to achieve either of those, rounding out the list is pretty difficult. I managed to do it, though! Here’s what it looks like in no particular order and no specific grouping (although I probably should categorize them at some point for easier tracking):
- Publish a book
- Visit the UK
- Get to my ideal weight (one that I’ve decided)
- Learn French
- Visit Salem, MA
- Take a cross country drive (preferably in a convertible)
- Volunteer somewhere meaningful to me
- Visit the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC
- Attend an art gallery show
- See Jimmy Fallon live
- Read through the Bible
- Take a dance class
- Write a screenplay (not to have it produced. Just to have it written)
- Vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC
- Sew an apron or blanket. Maybe both.
- Watch the AFI top 100 movies list (the 66 I have not yet seen)
- Go to a drive-in theater
- Relearn how to play an instrument (I used to play piano and guitar)
- Stay in a log cabin
- Go to an MLB All Star game or World Series game
- Sit in on a Supreme Court hearing
- Be debt free (again)
- Eat a farm to table restaurant
- Swim with dolphins
- Host a murder mystery party
- Give $100 tip to a server
- Adopt a family at Christmas
- Make candy from scratch
- Get a hot stone massage (this a big deal for me as I hate massages)
- Go to the top of the Empire State Building
- Be an extra in a movie
- Have a Twitter conversation with a celebrity (that lasts longer than a one tweet reply to something I said)
- Have a blog post go viral
- Read a classic novel (yes, Kristen, I will consider Pride and Prejudice)
- Read a book of poetry
- See a nonmusical Broadway show
- Pay for a stranger’s dinner in a restaurant
- Take a cooking class
- Visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- Visit MLB Hall of Fame
Bonus: speak in public or at a conference for longer than 2 minutes
I have approximately 52 months to get this all done. Some task will be easier to complete than others but it averages out to roughly one activity per month, alloting time to budget, plan and make necessary arrangements for the items that involve travel or learning a skill but overall, it’s a completely realistic list. I aimed high but not so high it’s impossible.
I’m excited to get started. This should be a fun adventure. Even if turning 40 scares the shit out of me.
Do you have a list like this? If so, what did you put on it? Have you done any of these? What should I do first?
