In less than 40 days, I will turn 40 years old. I think about the profile page of this blog; it says something to the effect of, “I am 30-something unless I have had quite a few birthdays since I wrote this.”
I guess I have now had quite a few birthdays, and I am turning 40. I am far from a mid-life crisis, quite the opposite. I am beyond happy in my life, and I am looking forward to celebrating. My birthday wish – Is to see as many wonderful people in my life as I can the weekend of my birthday. I hope that everyone will come to celebrate life with me. I want for nothing, just for everyone to be there.
While I await my greatly anticipated celebration of 40 years of life, I have a short list of things that i want to do between now and my birthday. Starting tomorrow, I start on my list.
I won’t call it a bucket list. My bucket list is to continue to love the life that i have – raising my beloved birds and watching them grow into young men, spending time and getting through the challenges of life with my amazing friends, and continuing my career with the awesome company that I work for and co-workers that I work with. Every day, I am living a life beyond any that I ever dreamed. All I want is to continue living that life.
The purpose of my things to do list before I am 40, is to have a little fun and seize the opportunity to do some things that I think will be fun and to make it a point to do things that I most enjoy. Here is my list:
1) Float a boat or rubber ducky down the Waterway waterfall in the Woodlands
2) Get my ears pierced
3) Get a tattoo (i think)
4) Plan and put a dinner party on the calendar
5) Do some celebrity/people watching the weekend of the Super Bowl
6) Attend a Super Bowl event concert
7) Complete a 10 day detox diet
8) Take friends to try a new restaurant
9) Plan a happy hour at Ambriza (my new favorite locally owned place)
10) Have the long-awaited celebration champagne drink with my dear friends
11) Drink an expensive bottle of wine
12) Have a nice dinner by myself and work on my blog
13) Set a new peak run record on my running app
14) Reach out to 20 people that I did not see or talk to in 2016
15) Go to the movies
16) Go to brunch
17) Cook a new recipe with Little Chirp
18) Watch a movie from my generation with Brainy Bird
19) Map out Brainy Bird’s college tours
20) Buy a new outfit for my birthday happy hour
21) Buy a new outfit for my birthday night out
22) Have drink with my favorite gal at Sportin’ Woodies
23) Get my hair done and catch up with one of the most respectable men I know. He happens to do hair.
24) Go to the movies with a group of friends
25) Heat the hot tub and enjoy a soak in it
26) Watch a professional sports game live
27) Clean out my office
28) Go through my writing notebook
29) Clean and organize my kitchen
30) Clear off every back log task on my task list
31) Attend church with my favorite aunt
32) See how long it takes me to run 13.1 miles (a half marathon)
33) Play Little Chirp’s new favorite game with him – King of New York
34) Host a family game night
35) Have dinner or happy hour with K and friends
36) Plan my next vacation
37) Run a mile as fast as I can
38) End a night at our local favorite dive bar
39) Have lunch or a drink with my first boss.
40) Spend an evening on my back porch catching up with Sunshine, appreciating how far we have come in the last two decades and how far we shall go in the next two decades.
I look at this list, and many of the things are activities that I often enjoy. And of course, there are the things that I have never done that seem appropriate for a list of things to do before I turn 40. Why not? Life is all about new things.
My life is the happiest and most fulfilling that it has ever been. I am excited about the days until I turn 40, and all of the days to follow.