Yet Another Stuff-to-do-before-I-Turn-30 List

It’s been 12 days since my half birthday. I didn’t celebrate; I don’t do that sort of thing. Instead I spent the day stuffing myself with lozenges, echinacea and tea. I started work at a daycare about three weeks ago and I blame my two-week cold on that. In retrospect, maybe that was a good way to “not celebrate” my half 29th birthday. It was 12 days ago, did I mention that? This means that I’m already into the second half of my year, and practically at the tail end of my depressing trip to my….(sigh)…30’s. There’s 365 days this year, cut in half that’s 183 days. Minus 12 days and that’s 171 days…until I have nothing left to live for. Am I being slightly overdramatic? Any 29 year olds reading this, you’re flat-out lying if you say that you don’t share my sentiments. To any 30 pluses, you’ve shared my feelings at one time. And for the younger kids…you will one day. Just wait.

So I have 171 days left and I feel like this deserves some sort of list. A report card, a countdown, any sort of written document to tell the world that I still have goals, still have hope. At least for the next 171 days.

 Twenty Things to Do Before I Turn 30

 1. Hop a plane. Anywhere, even if it’s as close as Halifax

2. Publish a story

3. Find the perfect mouthwash

4. Read a book every two weeks (that’s 13 books….that’s all of Vonnegut’s novels plus one)

5. Go to a concert so good that it makes me cry

6. Decorate my house with pictures that I took while travelling

7 .Make jam

8. Make sure (at least) half the people at my 30th birthday party are people I haven’t met yet

9. Take a road trip

10. Learn to play three songs on guitar

11. Read a book of poems

12. Go dancing with lots of girlfriends

13. Write a blog post that gets over 300 hits

14. Hike a mountain (I’ve hiked many before, and I’d like to keep the momentum going). Run five miles (in one shot, without passing out)

15. Find and purchase a nice pair of hoop earrings

16. Go to a writing seminar

17. Blog about a film festival

18. Eat the perfect veggie burger

19. Dance in the rain