Today is my 50th birthday.
Two years ago I posted a blog about the 50 things I would
like to do before I turned 50… and I did 14 of them.
Those things I accomplished are:
Learn to make
jewelry chain
Won a
photography contest
Wrote a child's
book for the babies
Traveled to
Shiloh National Battlefield
Raise my own
vegetables
Make a compost
pile
Come up with my
own hamburger
Create my own
cheese cake
Create my own
pasta salad
Create a
signature dish
Came up with my
own potato salad recipe
Learned to make
sushi
Do an acceptable
water color painting
Own a Clan Hanna
tartan cape (amended to shawl)
And I am well on my way on these two:
Read the Bible
all the way thru
I bought a “Bible on CD” set and I am listening to it. I’ve done the entire New Testament and have
gone thru most of 1 Chronicles as of last night. I love having it for my long drives up to
Missouri… that’s 4 hours of listening!
In fact, there have been a whole lot of changes in my relationship
with God… in a very good way.
Get organized
I have made great progress with this one. Enough that I know it will really and truly
happen. I’m almost done with
decluttering and organizing my shed; even as it holds things moved from my
hobby room/office as I remodel it. So I
have two “works-in-progress” happening and it all looks a bit chaotic right
now. It’s all good!
Only finishing 14 of 50 could have been a sad thing. Could have, except for the fact that along
the way I learned to finally throw my lists to the wind and accept all the
incredible things the Lord has blessed me with.
And those things came to a number far higher than 50!
Learned
to make cheese
Learned
to make a blown glass float
Took
a series of mixed media classes
Put
in a large herb garden
Completely
remodeled a room in our house (hall bathroom)
Learned
to felt
Learned
to make wire wrap jewelry
Learned
to make stamped jewelry
Learned
to do wheel pottery
Gone
to a "sea glass beach"
Became
a DOTING Auntie (as opposed to just ‘being an aunt’ which actually would be
something my sister did! I was already an
aunt when I wrote my list. I never
dreamed what those two little people would do to me. Those babies OWN me…and I love it!)
AND I did one thing that I had said in that blog was “Of
course there are the ‘dream’ things – travel to Scotland,… I know those are not
realistic.”
I went to Scotland!!
And that brought some many experiences I had never dreamed I
would do:
Purchased
a length of hand-woven Harris Tweed from its weaver
Visited
the land of my Scottish ancestors: Colonsay Island and Sorbie Tower, Galloway
Traveled
thru the Highlands
Been
'monster hunting' at Loch Ness
Take
a falconry course
Handled
a Bald Eagle
Have
eaten haggis and black pudding.
Have
eaten REAL fish & chips.
Photographed
a wild Red Stag.
Rode
on a steam train.
Rode
on a double-decker bus
Rode
in an old fashioned 'cabbie' taxi
Slept
in a lighthouse
Slept
in a castle
Slept
in a converted church
Stayed
a week in a private beachside cottage
Driven
on the 'wrong side of the road'
Walked
the Old Course at St. Andrews.
Been
on the "Falkirk Wheel"
Had
a picnic on a beach
Walked
thru ancient standing stones (the Callanish Stones on Lewis)
Eaten
at a world famous restaurant (Three Chimneys)
So that is my 50 Before 50 list. Two-thirds of it never even crossed my mind
two years ago. It’s been a great journey
with so much learned. I’ve learned to
learn what to let go and what to keep close to me.
I’ve learned that you have to realize “Prince Charming” isn’t
real but you can still “live happily ever after”. It’s not a fairy godmother’s magic wand that
makes it happen; it is a lot of hard work and commitment… especially when you
are tired of working hard and keeping the commitment.
I’ve learned to cut myself a break and realize I don’t have
the strength or stamina of my 25 year old self.
But give extra time and a few assisting tools, I can do everything I’ve
ever been able to do. I just have to do
it smarter.
So today I start my ‘Fabulous Fiftieth Year’… and I already
know it’s going to be a great one!
(And there are things on that old list I still want to
accomplish!)