January 25, 2021

A New 40 Goals by 40 Years Old List


Well, I'll just start this with a funny story. Yesterday, I was feeling bummed about turning 40. It just feels so old! (I'm not saying that those of you older than that are "old"--I'm sure you know how it is to FEEL old, though, at each milestone age.) I went through this when I turned 30, too, and now I would kill to be turning 30!

Last night, as I was cooking dinner, I texted Thomas to say that I was bummed it was my last day in my 30's. He said, "I thought you were turning 39 tomorrow?" 

Well, apparently as you age you forget how old you are. It turns out that I'm actually only 39 today and not 40! Hahaha :)

A few years ago, I wrote a list of 40 goals to accomplish by the time I turn 40 years old. Even though I have another year before I'm 40, there is no possible way to accomplish those goals. Thank you, COVID.

So, I'm writing a revised list. These goals are going to be smaller things that I can do within the next year--and hopefully COVID won't interfere. I'm choosing things that I should be able to do whether we are on lockdown or not. They may seem insignificant, but I like the idea of a 40x40 list.

Here is my new list of things to accomplish before I'm 40. Some of them are carried over from the previous list, but I'm not including all of the goals I already completed.

1. Go for a 10-mile walk.

2. Go for a 30-mile bike ride.

3. Build a bat house. 

4. Cook 52 new recipes.

5. Travel somewhere--anywhere--by plane.

6. Read 20 books.

7. Go camping with the family.

8. Write a "love letter" to Noah and Eli. 

9. Paint or stain our back deck. It's LONG overdue!

10. Go kayaking with Eli.

11. Bake a German chocolate cake (from scratch) for Jerry. 

12. Take Noah out for "real" ramen.

13. Make a time capsule with my family.

14. Take a single class to finish my associate's degree. I only need two credit hours.

15. Grow a vegetable or herb.

16. Complete a 30-day challenge.

17. Go on a picnic with the family.

18. Knit something.

19. Crochet something.

20. Sew something.

21. Complete a woodworking project.

22. Write a handwritten letter to five friends.

23. Teach Joey a new trick.

24. Watch a movie at a drive-in movie theater.

25. Make Amish Friendship Bread and deliver to friends.

26. So something altruistic.

27. Go to a Tigers game with the family.

28. Plant a tree.

29. Go without a phone for 24 hours.

30. Try a food I've never tried before.

31. Update my blog's pages to reflect newer posts.

32. Get a deep tissue massage.

33. Wear a dress.

34. Plant new landscaping.

35. Have a movie marathon with the family--a trilogy.

36. Sell three things on Facebook Marketplace or eBay.

37. Create a vision board.

38. Have a game night with friends (if not in-person, then via Zoom)

39. Play the Kicker in Keno.

40. Make fresh-squeezed lemonade.

And there it is! I tried to choose items that were more "one-off" that cumulative, so I can get them done in a day and not have to keep track all year. One year goes by way too fast!

5 comments:

  1. That is so funny! I always have to ask my hubs how old I am (I'm almost 38) because I always think I'm a year older than I am!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's funny how you forgot your age. You just gained another year! Happy Birthday and thanks for such a fun and inspiring blog. You rock.

    PS - my hardest birthday was 25! I'll be 55 in May and it doesn't phase me one bit.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is a great list! Might I suggest the sequel trilogy to the Star Wars saga as your trilogy to watch. Even if you don't get in to Star Wars, you can drool over Adam Driver the whole time ;) lol! I'm excited to hear you update your list!

    That was too funny though that you thought you were turning 40 this year! As I was reading the first paragraph, I was like, I swear she was born in 1982! And I only remember this because you're two years older than my husband. Its a random thing to remember but its just something that sticks in my mind!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great list! And funny about not realizing how old you are.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I need to make my list. I did a 30x30 list and I will be turning 40 next year so I need to get this started.

    ReplyDelete

I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

Featured Posts

Blog Archive