I was hand-washing a few dishes and had a sudden epiphany. I realized that I’ll be 27 in just a few months. Then, it hit me like a sandbag that I will be 30 years-old in merely three years. That night I could hardly sleep. I kept thinking about all of things that I have always wanted to do that have been pushed aside while I focused on “living.” The quotations there are to highlight the sad fact that we all focus on living, but is it really living if we are not doing the things that we want to do? Instead of doing the things I want to do, I am focusing on work. I am focusing on work so that I can pay my bills.
I had to honestly ask myself what I am waiting for…I mean let’s face it, I am not getting any younger. I sat down and put much thought into making a list, a promise to myself that I would start truly living. I had to keep in mind the constraints to make this list realistically achievable (I don’t have a tree that grows money on my patio, and I do have a job). I am going to chronicle each endeavor as well as my thoughts along the way.
Without further adieu:
My 30 before 30, plus a few extras left for “Before 40”:
- Get back my cross-country body- There was a time when I was able to run for 2 hours straight, run a 6:14 mile, and I trained daily. I could not pinch an ounce of fat from my legs. I want it all back, and I intend to get it before I’m 30.
- Pay off any debt(s)- This has to happen to make the rest of this list possible.
- Relearn Spanish- I used to keep a daily journal in fluent Spanish. I haven’t used it in years so I must relearn it all. Then, I may just move on to French.
- Purchase a new car- This has been pushed aside for too long.
- Throw myself a “I don’t have a baby” shower- At 26, I went to so many baby showers, and it never failed that I was asked, “When are you having one?” While I absolutely love that my friends are happy, and having children, I don’t feel that I am ready to be the selfless mother I intend to be once I make that leap. I have much to focus on with myself. Hence, I will be throwing myself an I-don’t-have-a-baby-shower.”
- Complete the Insanity Challenge!
- Go rock climbing and kick my fear of heights- This one terrifies me because I can hardly get on a ladder. I wish I was exaggerating.
- Crash a wedding- I am so excited about this one. I suspect it will be hilarious.
- Find the perfect little black dress- It may prove to be more difficult than finding the perfect man…There are so many choices, and some don’t look as good once you try them on.
- Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans- It’s on Jenna…it may be next year’s since Vail is the same month, because of limited PTO time thanks to pneumonia…but it is on.
- Go scuba diving- This is something I have never done, although I have been to Cozumel, Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
- Make spare bedroom into office- This needs to happen so that I can have my space to work. The extra bedroom currently serves as a cluttered Wii/PS3 game room.
- Go on a picnic- I have always wanted to do this. This one has a secret reason deriving from my childhood.
- Ride in a hot air balloon- This one would be tough for me considering the fear of heights issue, but I still want to do this.
- Go back to school-I want to go back to school and study journalism/mass communications
- Go zip lining- This sounds so damn cool.
- Read one of the Top 100 Novels each month until I finish (before 40)- I had to alter this one a bit in realization that I’d have to read 3 each month to read all of them, and this was a stretch given time limits, the lengths of some, and work, but I want to have read every novel on this list. The greatest books ever written…
- Write my Nana’s memoir- A few years ago, I went to my Nana with a project. I went to her house every weekend to paint. She is a phenomenal artist. It was the best time, and I ended up with my first painting. She painted the same one next to me along the way. It inspired me to spend more time with her. Our titles, such as “grandma” and “granddaughter,” we have in life sometimes hinder the relationship we allow to bloom with people. I want to write her life story to be passed down to my children and so on.
- Get a white-ink tattoo
- Complete 30-day Bikram Yoga Challenge- I have done Bikram yoga many times, but I want to conquer the entire 30-day Challenge and write about it.
- Take vacation with a group of girl friends- This can’t be Vegas…it’d be the female version of the Hangover without a wedding to get to.
- Ice skate in Central Park in December- Every year, after watching the movie Serendipity, I hope to have a moment like that, ice skating while it’s snowing in Central Park
- Go to Las Vegas- This may be done with 24, 28 and 30
- Spend few days in Cali; or move there
- Go vegetarian for 30 days- This will be tough, but I want to really go for it and try vegetarian recipes. I want to give it an honest try.
- Establish a tradition-I haven’t yet decided what this will entail, but it could be any tradition I wish to begin to do with my future children, or my brother’s children.
- Maintain this blog until I’m 30.- Self-explanatory.
- Take a road-trip- cheesy mixed cds and all
- Attend a Red Sox game at Fenway
- Visit the Grand Canyon
Bonus/Before 40:
- Experience the Great Pyramid
- Adopt a British accent for an entire day
- Make a Wish at the Trevi Fountain-Rome
- Visit Sistine Chapel
- “Hold up” the leaning Tower of Pisa
- Go to Paris
- Sky Dive
- Have a marriage more beautiful than any wedding
- Read The Iliad and The Odyssey completely
- Ride in a gondola in Venice
- Experience the Northern Lights
- Floor seats to Dallas Mavericks
- Play chess with someone I love, only making one move each every week
The 30 Before 30 Pursuit 