Hello 40!

Yesterday I was out to dinner with DH, and my friend Val and her boy.  We were joking around about birthdays and getting old, then suddenly I realised something.  I was the only 40 year old at the table. 

I have always said that for me, birthdays are a chance to celebrate.  That the number doesn’t matter.  But there is something about the age of 40.

So to recognise my milestone birthday I opened up my forthcoming year to suggestions.  Thoughts about 40 things I should do before 17 November 2011.  I posted on Facebook and Twitter, and spent Wednesday giggling at my desk, loving the responses.

Lots of the posts were athletic in nature.  And lots of them involved travel.  Now, if I could take a year off work, then maybe I could do all the wonderful things, like visiting my friends around the world, seeing Machu Pichu, climbing Everest (not for me – but Anapurna Base Camp is on my list), doing great rides, walks, triathlons and races in amazing places.  But sadly I can’t take that year off work.  So a lot of the ideas will be filed on my “things to do in my life list”.

Now, onto the 40 things for the next year.  I will do my best to do them all.  Some of these are aspirational.  A lot require a bit of logistics and planning.  All of the ideas – the ones I put on the list and the ones that couldn’t make the cut – were greatly appreciated.  Thank you everyone for contributing to my upcoming year – and for making me laugh a lot on Wednesday!

The athletic…

1.  Do the Houston to Austin MS150 ride (April 2011 – 300km)
2.  Swim across the Chesapeake Bay (June 2011 – 4.4 miles)
3.  Do the London to Dunwich overnight 200km ride (with a grupetto of friends!) – thanks to my friend Jon for this one!
4.  Run 40 miles in a month – a few people suggested to run 40 miles in one go, but as many people know that is just not where my leg strength is today.  I think this could be a realistic goal nearer to November 2011…
5.  Do a triathlon – ok, I have already done one of these, but my friend Michelle did this for her 40th birthday, and my friend Elizabeth reminded me that if I do one in the US, I get a smiley face in the zero on my age.  So, it is looking like the Fireman Tri in Kennebunk Maine may indeed make it to the list, just for the smiley face, of course!
6.  Go to an Ironman race – many people suggested doing one, but that is not my plan for next year.  Instead, I will go and support at one.  I think that will be Lanzarote in May, as I have a few friends doing it…

The peripatetic…

1.  Go to Dublin for more than a half a pint of Guinness.  Thank you Kathleen for this – I met up with my friend in Kathleen in September and had so little time in the city, just enough for lunch and a half pint of Guinness.  DH loves Dublin, and I have been meaning to go for year.  So this is the one travel destination that will be added to my list for the next year. 
2.  Meet 40 people from my “online life” (e.g. Sigma Kappa, Twitter, Facebook, this blog) that I have not met “in real life” – lots of people suggested doing variations of this (e.g. meet me!), but I like this suggestion from Ian.  I’m excited to do this as I love meeting new people!
3.  Go to Minack Theatre in Porthcurno Cornwall.  Sally suggested this.  And seeing as I have never been to Cornwall but have always wanted to go, this is a perfect excuse.
4.  Seek out 40 beautiful things in my various travels, and take a picture of them (with a story) using my iPhone.  This is a twist on my friend Allison’s suggestion of seeking 40 great works of art on my travels, because sometimes the most beautiful things are not necessarily art in my opinion.  I look forward to this as it will ensure that I look out for beauty in the midst of everyday life.
5.  Visit a new place.  Thanks to Mary for this – my twist will be to visit someplace new in London.  I have lived here for 13 years already but there is still so much of the city I have not seen.

The indulgent…

1.  Do 40 things for myself.  Quite a few people suggested to do nice things for myself but I really like the idea of selecting 40 distinct things to do over the course of a year.  Thanks Corrina for this.  I will keep track of them throughout the year, and make sure to give thanks for each year of my life for each one.
2.  Cook a meal that scares me.  This one comes from my friend Julia.  Well, nothing when it comes to cooking scares me as I like to cook.  However, I do have a cookbook that scares me.  Thai by David Thompson.  It is a gorgeous book, silk covered, with scary ingredients.  I will cook a meal for friends from this book, searching out the ingredients.  Wish me luck!
3.  Get a pet.  My friend Priya suggested a puppy, but given our work and travel schedules, it may be cats.  40 is the year of the cat!
4.  Make a wish in a fountain.  Thanks Robin for this suggestion!  Now, to decide on the wish…
5.  Try something that I have not eaten before.  Mel suggested 40 things – but seeing as I have eaten almost everything there is, I will stick with one new thing… 
6.  On a hot day have an ice cold coke from an old fashioned bottle.  Thanks Bededo for this one.  Especially as I love coca cola but am now only having it on rare occassions!
7.  Go for a walk on a beach.  Thanks to Gretchen for this idea.  I love the beach and will do this with pleasure.
8.  Drink a glass of champagne and give thanks.  Thanks to Laurie for this idea. 
9.  Take a day and do absolutely nothing.  Thanks Kathi for the inspiration for this one!
10.  Eat cake.  This one is from my friend BJ.  My twist will be to go to a place I have been meaning to go to but still haven’t – Bea’s Bloomsbury – for a cupcake treat.
11.  Learn to make a curry.  Leslie actually suggested learning in India, but I will be happy just making curry at home from scratch for the first time ever.  One without chillies though as DH is not so good with spicy!

The cultural…

1.  Learn to play my ukulele.  Kendall and Pia suggested to learn to play an instrument.  I have always wanted to learn to play the ukulele so that I could entertain myself with my favourite Hawaiian songs.  DH gave me the most beautiful ukulele for Christmas – so the time has come to learn how to play.  And there really are no excuses as the Duke of Uke is right around the corner from my house, offering lessons… And of course, there’s YouTube…
2.  Take a photography course.  Thanks Claire for this idea – I really want to do this.  I know these are weekend courses which are hard to do with triathlon training, but maybe I can find one that fits into the schedule.  I would love to know how to use my camera better, and how to use Photoshop.
3.  Read an “impenetrable classic”.  My friend Dan suggested this.  I really like this as I do not read enough – I have a huge stack of unread books to tackle.  The one book I have wanted to read is “War and Peace”.  On our honeymoon DH read passages to me throughout our two weeks in Africa.  I would like to read it cover to cover, battle scenes and all.
4.  Reacquaint myself with Bruce Springsteen.  This one is for Desiree.  Also in honour of my memories from 1985.  The Boss is back!
5.  Visit each major exhibit at the Tate.  My friend Nadya actually suggested in London, but I am refocusing it a bit – plus I have a Tate membership and just don’t use it enough.  This is a great idea to get out and see the amazing art that London has to offer.
6.  Research ligers, wolphins, pumapards, and Dunbar’s number, and report back to Patrick.  Enough said – and stay tuned!
7.  Go to the theatre.  Another great one for London.  And since I did not go once in 2010 (shocking!) this is a great idea.  Thanks to my friends Kent and Steven for this one.
8.  Go to a concert.  Desiree suggested Springsteen.  Gretchen’s list suggested classic.  I think just going to any live music will be great.
9.  Read 40 books.  I am not sure I can read 40 books, with the distractions of Twitter and blogs, but reading more is definitely a good plan and 40 is a great aim!

The practical…

1.  Get my UK driving license.  This seems odd, considering I already have my license, and got it age 15.  And that I have driven across deserts and in so many countries.  But I can’t drive here.  It is something I have been meaning to do for ages.  And although my friend Teri was pushing for my motorcycle license, this is a bit more practical, especially when it comes to the travel and athletic angles of this list!
2.  Breathe.  Perhaps this was a flippant answer, from someone who thinks I might be doing too much in my life and that I need to chill out.  I kind of agree.  So building on this, I will take Dan’s suggestion and look into Tibetan Buddhist meditation classes  in London.
3.  Talk to my family more.  Skype skype skype.  Thanks to my sister for this one.  Practical, but also oh so awesome.
4.  Learn to kill, deplume and cook a free range chicken.  I love this idea from Leslie.  Now… to find somewhere that will teach me how!
5.  Turn off.  My friend Dan suggested giving up electronic devices for a month.  I’ve done it before for about 2 weeks, during the rally (not by choice!) – so this time I will unplug for a weekend. 

The altruistic…

1.  Plant a tree.  My friend Mike from high school suggested this.  And it works nicely with a project happening with my neighbours – we have been meaning to replant trees to replace two Mulberries that were storm damaged years ago.  I love this idea.  Adding it to the list makes it a priority.
2.  Do 40 good deeds for strangers or random acts of kindness.  I love this suggestion from Roxanne and Kathleen – to spread the love!
3.  Support an entrepreneur on Kiva.  I have heard about Kiva for a while, but have never looked into it in details.  Leslie suggested this and I think it is a great idea.
4.  Support a small but excellent charity with $40, a different charity each month.  This is my friend Allison’s suggestion.  I am not sure which charities these will be, but any suggestions are welcome. I particularly like the idea of smaller charities, as they do work that is just as vital as the larger charities – perhaps on a local scale, or a more focused area.  I look forward to learning more about the non profit sector too with this one.

* and a special thanks to my friend Josie for this idea!