My Practically Perfect Life

So I know I said before, if you read my previous post, that I would follow up as soon as I turned 40 with all of the great adventures I was able to mark off of my list! Well 27 days later I have had time to sit down and do just that! If you did not read my post this is the follow up to, then you either can, or you can read this and just wonder what in the hell I am talking about!!

40 days before my 40th birthday I had an epiphany! Well maybe not an epiphany but a crazy good idea! Well…maybe not crazy good, but it was an idea! I decided to make a list. Not quite a bucket list but a list of things I have wanted to do and decided that trying to get them done by my 40th birthday was a good challenge! And challenge it was! I did not accomplish all 40 things, but I knew that wouldn’t be possible. I did however accomplish some of the things and I will share those with you now!

1. Taking better care of myself. Not only did I start the list off with something important but I did get a mammogram to make sure I am not in risk of anything there. I got a clean bill!
2. See a band I have never seen before. I did that one early on too! Vixen was freakin’ awesome!! And we got to go backstage and meet the whole band! And hang out for a good time with Roxy and listen to stories from her childhood growing up with worm!! (worm is my bbfffe)!
3. Acts of kindness. When I wrote this one I thought I would write down what I did and when I did it, but I soon realized that I did not have the attention span to do so, and it was honestly really great seeing that I did more acts of kindness than I realized. I’m not one to do something good just to tell people how good I am, so with this “goal” I felt a bit trashy bragging about my good deeds. So I will just say that rounding up when paying for something to send a little money to a charity, or paying for someone’s coffee in line at Starbucks is great and all but smiling at strangers or holding the door open for someone is just as important. Acts of kindness need to be selfless acts that give people hope that humanity is still good. And I strive to do that daily!
4. Write a letter to my future self. This one was the easy one! Not!! I thought it would be. But when I sat down to do it I was drawing a blank on what to say to my future self. Do I just notate what is going on in my life right now? Because that would be more like a diary. So I tried. And it’s an open letter right now that I can go in and add to.
5. Getting scuba certified. I figured I wouldn’t be able to have the certification done by the time I had my birthday but I did sign up for it and I started! I will have it completed soon! And I am proud of that!!
6. Solo travel. This one did not happen. It just wasn’t in the books. I had so many other things happening that trying to squeeze a trip in would not have been as fun as it should have been. But never fear, I still have time!
7. Find a personal mantra! I tried so hard to find something that fit my life. Something funny, or profound, or inspirational. But in the end I heard this quote in an audible book I was listening to and I immediately wrote it down. “The question isn’t who is going to let me, the question instead is who is going to stop me” I changed the words a little but I don’t think I could have found a better quote to describe not only who I am, but who I have been and who I will continue to aim to be!
8. Watch the sunrise in a new place. This one I did but it wasn’t an exciting new place that I dreamed it would be when I made the list. I did however go to Houston for some medical tests and had to be there super early, so sunrise on the way there (I am pretending it was a different location than I have seen before) because it was as good as I could get.
9. Take a road trip to a new town. This one I am going to make work…since making this list I have started selling crawfish and seafood for someone. I had to drive 2 hours to pick up the crawfish in a box truck and while it wasn’t an exciting road trip per se…it was somewhere I had never been!! I am going to keep this one on the back burner though and still try to accomplish it.
10. Hot air balloon ride. Hasn’t happened yet!

11. Rock climbing

12. Take a dance class

13. Volunteer

14.Go hiking

15. Paraglide

16. Apply for TSA precheck! Done and done!!

17. Find a new hobby

18. Do a photo shoot. I totally did this and I am in love with my pictures! I highly recommend doing this for anyone, especially women, who have insecurities. You are beautiful just the way you are!

19. Take a class to learn a new skill. I did not take a class to learn this but I did learn to use the scroll saw and create something sweet and special for someone!!

20. Take a makeup class/lesson

21. Closet cleanout!

22. Have a picnic in a park

23. Have a spa day. I got a massage but that doesn’t completely count so I am going to keep this one open!!

24. Take a class in something weird

25. Go skydiving!!

26. Take a ride in a helicopter

27. Get my pilots license

28. Sleep in a tree house

29. Meditate? I think I can learn to…

30. Learn calligraphy. I totally have been working on this! I am not great at it yet but I believe in myself and know I can do it!!

31. Do a cartwheel. And not hurt myself!

32. Visit a museum I’ve never been to

33. Take a photography class

34. Play paintball

35. Build a kite and fly it!

36. Make homemade pickles. Did this!!

37. Spend a whole day giving high fives to everyone I see!

38. Learn to make a stained glass. I did this too and I absolutely love it! I can’t wait to make more things!!

39. Paint a picture for someone. Ok. This is one of my favorites. I put this down because I am no artist! I have never been able to draw or paint something and it look exactly like I see it. I am however occasionally creative and I wanted to paint a picture in a non traditional way. So I chose the picture, a sweet dog belonging to my favorite family. I finished it and had a plan to take it to my friend and then other things happened and I didn’t make it over. So 2 days later I was determined to get it there. However when I woke up that morning I learned that the sweet pup was being put to sleep that day. So I left the picture by the door while they were gone and it was there upon their arrival after having to say goodbye to a family member. I loved the painting but I loved even more the timing because even though their memories will never fade of her now they have this picture.

40. Make a time capsule

As I said before I obviously did not accomplish all of these things. Not only waiting until the last minute made it difficult but life outside of my list continued and I had to keep living it! So I have decided that 40 days prior to my 40th birthday was a good kickstart. But my new goal is to do these things within my 40th year on earth! So I now have 339 days to finish my list!! Wish me luck! And feel free to join me on any of my adventures!