Wednesday, September 15, 2010

37 is almost here

I remember having so many goals and aspirations when I was young. Younger. Whatever.


I turn 37 on Saturday. I'm okay with that. These 37 years have been good ones, mostly. Some ups. Some downs. The last couple years have been harder than I would have preferred. Lately it's looking like some of the things that have made life more difficult are easing, a bit. I'm grateful.


Still, when I think about turning 40 in three short years, I feel a bit at a loss. I'm not where I want to be in so many ways. I've worked so hard at being content that I sometimes feel I've swung too far in the other direction, into complacency. I don't want to let the next three years go by without having made some real, lasting changes.


So! I'm going to make a list, in no particular order, of 40 things I want to accomplish before turning 40. I figure the symmetry of 40x40 will help me count it down, and three years is enough time to give myself to actually accomplish some harder goals. Given my OCD tendencies, I'll likely put these into categories and organize them eventually, but for now I'm just going to put this out there in rough form.


1. Get to a healthy weight. I could write volumes about my struggles with being overweight, but the bottom line is that I need to get over it and get it done. Period.
2. Get into a regular routine for fitness.
3. Use the C25K program when I've lost enough weight to safely start running.
4. Complete a 10K race.
5. Harvest and preserve a vegetable garden yearly
6. Plant bulbs in the fall. Enjoy them in the spring.
7. Tackle our front yard. Grow something pretty.
8. Use up my current paper/product stash for my scrapbooks.
9. Get all the children's baby and school albums current, as well as our Christmas album and our family album.
10. Make albums of me and my husband before our marriage, and complete our wedding album.
11. Make the move to primarily digitally scrapbooking.
12. Set up my own Library of Memories system for scrapbooking
13. Use up my current yarn stash for my knitting.
14. Knit a hat for everyone in my family (husband and kids).
15. Knit other cool stuff. Lots of it. Document on Ravelry and eventually scrapbook.
16. Make quilts: for each new baby in my extended family, for each of my children, a memory quilt of my father-in-law as a gift to my mother-in-law.
17. Make our bedroom a pretty, peaceful haven.
18. Paint and decorate our home.
19. Find a hair style I love.
20. Start singing again.
21. Read through the Harry Potter series with the kids.
22. Read through the Bible at least 3 times.
23. Have a consistent quiet time, including Bible reading, prayer, and journaling.
24. Complete the 3 year discipleship course I'm in at my church.
25. Establish and maintain a regular time of Family Worship with my kids, and my husband as he's available.
26. Go back to school. Eventually (after 40) get my Bachelor's degree.
27. Find the skin-care routine and products that work for me, and maintain.
28. Stay in close touch with my parents, siblings, and in-laws, as much as it lies in me.
29. Establish the habit of sending a minimum of one snail-mail letter weekly.
30. Create a master menu list, monthly menus/shopping lists, and consistently use them.
31. Volunteer at the kids' school.
32. Volunteer at the local PRC.
33. Master living in my budget.
34. Take daily walks with dog, weather permitting. 
35. Maintain a clutter-free and tidy home.
36. Cross stitch a beautiful piece for our bedroom.
37. Get to know my neighbors.
38. 
39.
40.

4 comments:

  1. I could have written at least half of your list. I will cheer you on as you strive for these goals. Go SARAH!!

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  2. Great list, Sarah. Your list and mine look somewhat similar, including the reasons for making it. I'll be cheering you on, that's for sure!

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  3. Great idea! I find that making myself accountable helps me stay on-course. You can do it!!

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