Dear Readers,
Five years ago, inspired by a very dear friend of mine, I wrote a 30 by 30 list. A 30 by 30 is a list of 30 things I want to do before I turn 30. That day is two weeks from yesterday (when I meant to write this). As I was talking about the list to a friend of mine last night and as I’ve been thinking about this list lately, it’s been hitting me how much I’ve changed over the past five years.
I’ll be writing about some items on that list over the next two weeks, so please don’t mind the daily posts (I’m looking at you, Facebook and Twitter followers).
Some of the things weren’t completed exactly, but were kind of substituted with items that I, the list creator, felt matched the intention of the list item, like get a puppy. Other items were disregarded for being dumb, like pass the DLAB. Some were postponed due to impracticality, like visit India. Still others were ignored entirely in lieu of exploring more interesting hobbies or updating my priorities. A couple of the things on my list were actually completed, and all of those experiences were more rewarding than I expected (with one exception). I’ll be writing about those, too.
For now, I’ll start at the natural beginning. Here is my list.
Visit India
Skinny dip
Brew a batch of beer
Drive on a road trip
Perform at an open mic
Get a puppy
Watch every Oscar best picture
Wonderland Trail
Finish my degree
Pass the DLAB
Learn to play Blackbird on the guitar
Watch Steve Martin in concert
Read the entire Bible again
Visit ten more places in ‘1000 Places to See Before You Die’
Knit an entire scarf
Go on vacation alone
Eat something that is alive and moving
Complete Seattle back tattoo
Read at least one Harry Potter book
Finish ‘On the Road’
Complete full first draft of my novel
Get to 21% body fat
Get a professional massage
Fly a friend out to Seattle
Take an introductory flight class
Name a star
Go on a short-term mission trip
Run, walk, or bike for charity
Throw a surprise party
Volunteer at an animal shelter