Thirty for Thirty

In 13 more days I turn 30. As in 30 years old. Three-zero. Holy cow. That's big! So big that I keep vacillating between panicking about feeling like all my fun, carefree days are behind me and being totally relaxed about the whole age thing. Whichever mood I'm in at the moment, I have also felt the need to do something out of the ordinary to mark the occasion. Something fun for sure, but also something meaningful. I loved Joy's idea of doing 30 things by her 30th birthday, so I'm borrowing the idea for myself and I've come up with my own list. I thought I would share:

1. Record one song with my musician friend.

2. Write 2 chapters of a story (any story!).

3. Complete 3 sewing projects.

4. Spend 4 days completely “tech-free” (no iPhone, TV, computer, etc.).

5. Read 5 books on 5 different topics.

6. Write 6 letters and send to 6 different people.

7. Compliment 7 strangers.

8. Sign up for 8 swim classes with Sebastian.

9. Create 9 different drawings.

10. Make 10 new recipes and share them with family or friends.

11. Eat 11 vegetarian meals.

12. Make 12 mini-cheesecakes and give them to 12 people.

13. Tell 13 people why I’m grateful to have them in my life.

14. Listen to 14 different radio programs (I <3 NPR).

15. Leave 15 nice comments on other blogs.

16. Go outside for at least 16 minutes for 16 days.

17. Clean out closet and get rid of (donate) 17 articles of clothing.

18. Learn 18 new facts/words.

19. Enjoy 19 sunsets.

20. Donate $20 to my favorite charity.

21. Surprise Ant with a date and spend no more than $21.

22. Write down my favorite part of the day for 22 days.

23. Deliver 23 pounds of produce to the local food bank.

24. Enjoy 24 cups of tea.

25. Take 25 pictures that I enjoy and post.

26. Pet and share affection with 26 different cats.

27.Take a 27 minute nap.

28. Make a list of 28 accomplishments I have made in my 20s.

29. Enjoy a bottle of wine worth $29.

30. Get a 30 minute massage.

I tried to make this a mix of celebrating the things that I love, honoring things that have shaped me, and giving back to others. I've had this list finalized for a few days now, so I've already been working on it and it's proving to be fun and motivating. I'll update you on my progress now and again as I go along.


In reality, I'm not sure if I can do quite this much in 13 days, so to keep with the awesome 30 theme, my goal is to accomplish all of these things in the next 30 days. That way it will be a celebration of all the great times in my 20s and something to start my 30's off in a positive way. 
 
In completely unrelated news, we bought the most beautiful fresh shelling beans at the farmer's market on Sunday. I shelled them last night while Sebastian "helped" me. Shelling beans is one of those things that I wouldn't want to do everyday, but find incredibly relaxing once in a while. I think it's just the mindless productivity of such a repetitive action that allows my mind to wander freely while accomplishing something useful. At least until I get caught up with how pretty these beans are. Then I grab my camera, distract a busy kid and try to snap a few pictures:

Isn't that magenta color great? I can't wait to cook them up and see if it stays or disappears!