For some reason, when thinking about my 30th
birthday, I felt the need to do something BIG! But, as this journey has taught
me, I stepped back and tried to examine where that desire came from? Was I
going to feel any less special on my birthday if it were dinner and cake with
my sweetie? What was it about 30 that needed something bigger than before? Am I
really that selfish? (Okay, I am a little selfish. I think birthdays are big
deals). Does this desire just come from all my peers’ posts on social media about the awesome
things they are doing for their 30th birthdays? I mean, come on, I
just had a wonderful celebration with friends and family that I had been
planning for 5 months and I spent 2 wonderful weeks in Italy, thanks to the skillful planning of my hubby. Was I now going to ask him to whip up a big
birthday bash in the midst of him returning to work?
What do I really want to do? Spend time with family.
Celebrate the journey God has taken me on so far. Have the spotlight for just a
little bit (and then hand it over to someone else).
A wise friend of mine posted recently (and she admits she
was on a soap box): "I'm voting we ban the
word and concept of "failure," hearing far too much of it from my
internal dialogue and my friends' verbal dialogue. Failure doesn't motivate us
to do better, it drowns us in our own self-loathing, it's looking at our
progress that moves us forward!"
That is the stance I would like to
take on my 30 before 30 list. It has been almost 2 years since I started this
list and I have done things that I hadn’t done before. It has encouraged me to
go out and do things I had been wanting to do for a while, but had never done.
I mean, I went skydiving!
And yet, it is a “failure.” I didn’t
finish it. It did not get completed. The deadline is here. And somehow that is
okay. If I stop and think about it I might get a little upset, or I might
wonder if people look down on me for not finishing it. However, how can people
look down on you for not completing a list of fun activities? The real
measurement is what was accomplished. Was the journey a success? Did I have
fun?
Those questions are answered with a
resounding YES!!!
I camped at (and swam in) Crater
Lake- a beautiful creation.
I faced my fear of heights,
countered by my desire to experience flying and went skydiving.
I spent valuable time with a friend
by going to the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
My hubby and I got to know each
other better through dates that involved several of these activities…
And who can forget when you cross
off an item on a wish list and get proposed to at the same time?!
This list is not a failure. It is
progress—I actually believe this introvert is more able to attend unknown
social events because of gained confidence through getting out and doing
things. I know that sounds silly (especially to extroverts), but it is true. I
have grown as a person through this list. I am more able to reflect on things I
actually want to do instead of things I think I need to do because everyone
else is doing them. I have more confidence. And I might just get out of the
house a little more.
That all said, the new and improved
“30 by the end of 30” list will be coming out shortly (thanks family for your ideas on how to extend the list). I
plan on taking the 30 before 30 list and tweaking it to be things that I want
to do that I think can actually be accomplished during my first year of
marriage.
Look for the journey to continue in
the coming year!
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| Birthday in the park with family--and boy does my hubby know how to pick a delicious cake! |
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