My list of 40

I turned 40 last week!   I feel fine about hitting this milestone marker of middle age, but it does make me realize that the years won't keep rolling on forever, and it's worth pausing to think about what things I would like to see and do with the years that are left.  So I decided to make a list of 40 things that would be really fun to visit, experience, or learn - some are very doable, others are much more of a stretch.  

Before I get to my list, I want to emphasize that this is *not* a bucket list, or a YOLO manifesto.  I think real meaning and real joy come from where you direct your time, energy, and love day in and day out.  I hope at the end of my life that this looks more and more like loving God and loving people.  That's the goal that's far and away the most important to me.  These other things are more like fun extras, as opportunities come up.  

It's also worth noting that I didn't include anything career related, because this list doesn't feel like the place to muse about that.  Other than to say that if we're going to do any gallivanting around the globe, which is much of what populates this list, it would help if I start pitching in some income :).  

Here's the list!

1.  Visit Dollywood (this is a new idea, thanks to the podcast "Dolly Parton's America")

2.  Visit Tokyo

3.  Visit Columbian salt mines

4.  Run a sub 2 hour half marathon

5.  Compete in a triathlon

6.  Visit Glacier National Park

7.  Take a cruise around Alaska

8.  Visit Santorini and Athens

9.  Learn to play chess

10.  Visit the Belvedere Museum in Vienna to see many of Gustav Klimmt's paintings

11.  Go hiking in New Zealand

12.  Visit Israel and see the famous biblical landmarks

13.  Visit Rome

14.  In New York City:  walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, attend a live comedy show and/or taping of Saturday Night Live, eat a great slice of pizza.

15.  Visit South Africa

16.  Read a broader selection of genres (currently, I'm trying to read more speculative fiction and more mysteries)

17.  Climb Mt. St. Helens.

18.  Acquire some sheet music and start playing the piano again.  If that goes well, maybe learn the basics of how to play the ukulele.  

19.  See the Great Wall of China.  Bonus points if this is from a space shuttle.  

20.  Soak in hot springs in Costa Rica

21.  Visit Iceland

22.  Visit Mammoth Lakes

23.  Get basic proficiency in one or more of the following winter sports:  X-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowboarding, ice skating

24.  Visit Patagonia

25.  Visit Banff National Park

26.  Successfully camp with the kids.  This can be in our backyard.

27.  Attend the summer Olympics.

28.  Keep the blog going or find other ways to continue writing.

29.  Conquer an escape room

30.  Go to a presidential inauguration.  

31.  Climb Mt. Rose

32.  Learn to cook improvisationally without relying so heavily on recipes

33.  Hike Tahoe Rim Trail

34.  Hike the Inca Trail

35.  Take an art history class on Coursera and learn about impressionism

36.  See Counting Crows in concert

37.  Hike Bumpass Hell Trail in Lassen National Park

38.  Learn to cook an amazing holiday meal.

39.  See live music in New Orleans

40.  Go to a March Madness game, preferably with Duke playing.  

If you've done any of these, give me your best tips!  And let me know in the comments what you would put on a list like this.