Birthday bucket list
I just love birthdays. It’s a time to reflect on growth, reminisce on the memories you’ve created over the past year, and with every birthday card or message you receive it reminds you how many people you are blessed to call family and friend. Around here we like to celebrate birthdays over a prolonged period of time with all sorts of celebrations dotted in the diary.
Just a few weeks ago I was celebrating my birthday and it caused me to pause and reflect on what an unassuming milestone it was. To some 29 seems the least like a milestone birthday and definitely not one to write home about, or pen a blog post about for that matter. And while that’s probably an accurate assumption, for me 29 caused a perspective shift. I like to consider myself a pretty positive person. Always striving to view the glass half full and living with eyes wide open. I like to consider myself having vision and dreams, but maybe not as big as they could be. This unequivocal mark in my time line this year nudged me to live the rest of my life less stifled.
You see 29 is a big deal around this household, 30 is monumental. When I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a baby the life expectancy was around 10 years old. Now it’s “late into the thirties”, and the older I’ve gotten and the closer I inch to that statistic, the bigger the reality gets. But who’s to say that those odds can’t be defied?
It’s said, “what consumes your mind controls your life”, and being the exception is more fun anyway. So on this birthday I’ve been inspired to piece together a goal setting list of things I’d like to accomplish before the big one – 30.
30 things before I’m 30
Hot air balloon ride * Grape stomping * Horse back riding on the beach * Visit Amalfi Coast * Help someone in need * Grow my own herbs * Master a pavlova and creme brulee * Host a slumber party * Run a 5K * Spend the night in a castle * Go camping * Complete three historic novels * Find a face regimen * Visit a jazz bar * Attend a conference * Have a baby * Start a women’s group * See Celine Dion * Learn to sew * Sing karaoke * Every month send a cards/parcels to friends and family around the world * Host a fancy dinner party * Visit a museum * Take on a Capsule Wardrobe challenge * Make someone else’s dream come true * See the Northern Lights * Volunteer for a non-profit * Declutter * Take a class * Go salsa dancing *
Some say 30 is the new 20 anyway, so let’s go with that. Won’t you join me in dreaming up something beautiful? Your life can be anything you wish it to be and even greater than you’ve ever imagined. Remember to never let statistics, labels, race, differences, culture, or challenges define you.