I must apologise for my tardiness, I haven't blogged in so long. But I missed you and so I'm back.
In November I experienced a strange phenomenon. I turned 40. I don't know how it happened, one day I was 25 and singing along to the Boo Radleys in my £400 Citroen ZX, the next thing I'm 40, pushing two small kids in a double pram and indulging in a tendency to wear comfy clothes.
I'm not particularly upset about turning forty, growing older is a lot better than the alternative after all and I'm still looking fairly crease-free if I do say so myself. But it is WEIRD. Like maybe now I actually have to act my age and be properly responsible and plan for my retirement and stuff.
While rifling through drawers looking for the above mentioned pension info, I came across a notebook which I had obviously intended to use as a journal. True to form it has four pages of thoughts and the rest is blank. I never could keep a diary. But what thrilled me is that two of these pages are taken up by a "40 by 40" list. Dated January 2009, I specify in my journal that it is meant to inspire me to achieve the things I want in life, and not be a to-do list which I must slavishly follow (the five years ago me was pretty chilled out). I reproduce it here, in all its embarrassing, unedited glory for your amusement.
In no particular order:
- Have at least two children (you've got to admire my ambition with the "at least") - Check
- Get back to a size 12 and stay there - Har dee har har
- Get a job I love - Check
- Pay off all debt - Semi check, we're on our way
- Learn not to take things personally - Checkish, I care MUCH less about others' opinion of me as I age
- Travel through Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos - Nope, though I did make it to England, Italy and Bali
- Get a PhD - Moving swiftly on...
- Learn to sew - Semi check
- Make a will - Fail
- Take Spanish lessons - Lamentablemente, no
- Learn to play guitar - Fail
- Visit Uluru - No
- Start/grow a business - Check
- Learn to jive - WTF?
- Start work on a novel - I started
- Go to a Paul Weller gig - Check
- Compile and read 100 must-read novels - Does doing it in my head count?
- Compile and watch 100 must-see movies - See above
- Become a stronger swimmer - Negative
- Have a gorgeous bedroom - Check
- Learn to love exercise - I accept that it's never going to happen
- Have a vegetable and herb garden - Check
- Sort out our wedding album - Yeah, no
- Drive the Great Ocean Road - Doing this in April!
- Visit Tasmania - Check
- Join a yoga/pilates class - No
- Eat at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen - Fail
- Visit Melbourne - Check
- Complete Bridge to Brisbane Run - Nope
- Learn to say "no" and "Yes" appropriately - Semi Check
- Go camping - Fail
The list ends there, at number 31. I like that I didn't finish it.
My new "to-do" list is not so item specific and instead focuses more on how I want to live, it even has an appendix which details the changes I will instigate to make it happen (I'll share those at a later date).
I want to live:
- Financially free
- With less stuff
- With more time to spend as a family
- Growing my own food
- Baking, cooking and preserving
- Enjoying time with friends
- Writing and researching
- In a cosy, welcoming home
- In a nurturing environment
- With generosity of spirit
- In happiness
- With opportunities for travel and growth
- Deliberately
- With time to read and just "be."
Told you I'd grown up ;-)
What would make your "to do" list?
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