Embracing the inevitable

I've been thinking a lot over the past few months about what it means to me to be turning 40 in just a few months. I started out feeling good about it..."40's the new 30" and all that blah blah, fueled by my friends who assure me that their 40s have been fabulous. I thought, "Woo hoo...40 is going to be awesome...bring it on!"

Then I started thinking about all the things I haven't accomplished in my life that I should have done by now (shouldn't I?)...buying a house, getting married, having kids, finally reaching my goal weight and staying there, publishing a best-seller...and I had a minor freak-out.

Fortunately, the "shoulding on myself" (my favorite Sex and the City line) passed as soon as I realized what a ridiculous waste of time and energy it is to base my self-image on negative thoughts. I've come full circle to the idea of embracing my life as SO much more than a number, or a series of deadlines to be reached. Why not celebrate all that my life already is, and all that it can be?

So, I've come up with this crazy idea of creating a list of 40 things I want to do in 2010 to honor the things I'm already thankful for, improve the things that could be better, and pay forward the blessings I've been given in this wonderful life so far.

I'm still working on the list (it's posted over there in the sidebar), but I'm liking where it's going. Not everything has to be so serious or monumental (I'm NOT planning to jump out of an airplane, or climb Mt. Everest), but I want to make the most of this year and set some goals for myself that are a little daunting (if it were all easy stuff I'd do anyway, that wouldn't be any fun).

My first goal is to finalize the list by December 31 so I can start on January 1 (I thought about starting ON my birthday but I'm too excited to wait that long). I'll use this blog to post updates on how I'm progressing toward completing the list, if you care to follow along. And, if you've got a suggestion for something to add to the list, I'd love to hear it. (Again, I'm not jumping out of an airplane so don't go there!)