Anyway, I'm going to be 40 at the end of next year. And while I'm not at all interested in the passing of my so-called youth, vain about my aging appearance, or in general bothered by being 40, it did get me thinking. While 40 may or may not be halfway through my life, it certainly clarifies for me what I want. This has been brought home by numerous things recently: Mama talking about a five-year plan (family goals for finances, household, health, education, activities/vacations, career, etc); illnesses and deaths of family and friends; the kids just turning 4, with 5 and kindergarten coming up faster than I ever imagined.
The funeral of the woman last week focused on how much she tried to make the world a greener, better place. What do I want my eulogy to sound like? What do I want out of life? What do I want to give back to it?
And what can I do about that in the next 70 weeks?
Before I can have an actionable plan, I have to have goals and objectives. (Yes, project-manager speak is big in our house). What are those? Here are some:
- Find/continue engaging volunteer/work position
- Continue to build relationship with my sister
- Build pastoral care work through church
- Reach my goal weight and fitness objectives (like walk a 5K)
- Go on big vacation with Mama and the kids (DC? Boston? Philly?)
- Go on a vacation with Mama without the kids (even if it is just overnight here in town, but preferrably to New Orleans sometime that we're in Texas!)
- Go on vacation by myself (not just here in town--preferrably to England)
- Improve contact with faraway friends (does this mean I'll be joining Facebook???!!)
- Become more aware of/involved in local politics
- Attend a spiritual retreat (UU/meditation/yoga at Kripalu??)
- Improve my "handymom" skills, i.e. hanging pictures, fixing toilets, using a hedgetrimmer, etc.
- Spend less aimless time on the computer
- Find a way to spend time with children separately, enjoying specific activities with each of them
- Continue to read a new book at least monthly
- Go on a date with Mama monthly
- Return to my hobbies--crochet/quilt/crossstich/knitting/weaving/watercolors/ cake decorating/something else--and take a class to improve skills and progress to next skill level
Okay, so that's a lot and impossible to do them all, but it's interesting to brainstorm and consider the possibilities.
So I'm going to start a countdown clock over on the right side of my blog (and it's just not working but I bet Mama can fix it tonight), to help keep me focused on the next 70 weeks on whatever goals I choose to pursue on my way to the big 4-0. No doubt, there will be updates on the way, of failures, successes, and changes in between.
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