40th Birthday Bucket List (Part 1)
We probably ask our kids to be brave more often than we realize. My kids started taking gymnastic classes a few weeks ago, and to be honest, I don’t even think they knew what gymnastics was when we signed them up. But we brought them to a new place, with new people, and asked them to do new skills they’ve never seen before.
And it’s the cutest thing. Because they have so much joy trying something new. Even if they aren’t great at it right away, they just have fun trying.
Watching them makes me so happy. And it reminds me how much fun I have when I actually try something new too. Even if I’m not good at it, there’s still the thrill of trying something different.
I turn 40 next year, a reality that absolutely cannot be true. But my family has a tradition for the year prior to a milestone birthday. We create a bucket list of tasks and adventures to accomplish before the big birthday. We don’t have to do everything that ends up on the list – there’s a whole procedure for narrowing it down to 8-10 options by using an old-school, M-A-S-H-style elimination process. It’s unnecessarily complicated. And we love it.
Before I turned 30, I had to complete at least 5 of the 8 items on this narrowed-down list:
Learn how to surf.
Get my motorcycle license.
Take a mystery trip and find out where I’m flying once I get to the airport.
Learn how to make balloon animals.
Go to a party on a boat.
Visit Niagara Falls.
Go on a date with a professional athlete.*
Do a split.*
*These are the tasks I didn’t do. I met my husband a few months into my bucket list, so I never went on a date with a professional athlete, not that I had any chance of that happening anyway. And I can barely touch my toes, so doing a split was completely out of the question; although, I hope it makes it onto my 40th birthday bucket list because I’m up for the challenge.
As for the things I actually did accomplish, I learned to surf in Montauk, NY. I got my motorcycle license but would never in a million years trust myself to actually use it. My sister booked the plane tickets for my mystery trip – she sent us to Charleston, SC for a long weekend. I learned to make a handful of balloon animals, which comes in handy now that I have kids. I went to a pirate-themed costume party on a boat and won a bottle of rum for the best female costume. And I visited Niagara Falls with my husband and our best bud, Ben.
I’ve already started brainstorming ideas for my next bucket list. It’s fun to think of what I could accomplish in just one year. And it’s a good reminder that some of my best days are still ahead.
If you have ideas, send them my way by December 4 — the day before I turn 39. I’m excited to fill this year with all the joy I can muster. It’s time to start trying new things.
40th Birthday Bucket List Ideas:
Do a split.
Self-publish a book.
Get a matching tattoo with my husband.
Take a dance class with my college roommates.
Perform a recital on the saxophone.
Attend a WWE event.
Spend a weekend at a silent retreat.
Golf 18 holes.
Sleep in an overnight train.
