The List

It all started with a list.

Sometime around my 39th birthday, Kelly and I were walking after work one evening.  I was lamenting on the fact that we would be forty soon and complaining about not looking forward to being that “old”.  Kelly had a different idea of what turning 40 would look like.  She told me about her idea to start a 40thyear bucket list.  Kelly’s list would be of 40 different things she would accomplish or do in her 40th year.

On my 39th birthday, my brother gave me a clock, a countdown clock. He’s two years younger than me and a complete smart ass. I kept looking at this clock as like doomsday symbol.  Then I started to think about Kelly’s list.   The next time we walked,we talked more about the list, things we would like to do and we decided two best friends completing this list together would be more fun than just one.  Suddenly the countdown clock did not seem so daunting.

So, we did some research.  Kelly and I started throwing things on a list, looking up bucket lists online and adding our personal goals.  About six months out from my 40th birthday, we finalized the list and started making plans.

I turned 40 on June 7th.  Kelly will follow suit on July 4th.  We have been thick as thieves since we were 13.  We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party and have remained close through cross country moves, college, marriages, and babies…all of it.  This is our list.  Our adventure.  Maybe it will inspire someone to start an adventure of their own.

40 at 40

1.  Drive in Movie

2.  White House Tour

3.  Hike 40 miles

4.  40 hours of community service

5.  Run in a race together

6.  Go to a shooting range

7.  Attend a cooking class

8.  Repurpose something

9. Attend the concert of a music icon

10.  Nashville girl’s trip

11.  Go to 5 famous (food network) restaurants

12.  Camp in Yosemite

13.  Stand under a waterfall

14.  Get a tattoo

15.  Visit a winery

16.  Watch 40 movies from the AFI top 100 of all time

17.  48 hours no phone, TV, internet

18.  Visit a museum

19.  Go to a Broadway show

20.  Visit a historical home

21.  Ghost tour of a haunted place

22.  Climb something

23.  Buy something frivolous

24.  Go antiquing

25.  Go to a Honkey Tonk

26.  Karaoke night

27.  Write something (blog, short story)

28.  Read 40 hours for enjoyment

29.  40 random acts of kindness

30.  Journal for 40 days in a row

31.  Drink an expensive glass of wine

32.  Send 40 cards

33.  Buy a dress you feel great in and wear it

34.  Go on a picnic

35.  Donate blood

36.  Hot stone massage

37.  Attend a revival church

38.  Make a scrapbook

39.  Take a Segway tour

40.  Feed a giraffe

Alternates

1.  Whitewater rafting

2.  Indoor sky diving

3.  Go to a casino

4.  Plan a rim to rim trip

5.  Attend a comedy show

6.  Visit Arlington National Cemetery

 

Stay tuned. Each blog will be about our attempts to complete the list and the shenanigans that occur along the way.