Flying Fabulously into Forty

This year is my last as a thirty-something. I have begun the official countdown to 40. In order to make this another great beginning, I must take an active role in the direction I go. My intention for the year is positivity. I am building a list of Forty Fantastic Things to accomplish throughout 2012. Some may be minor and others may seem outrageous.

Creating the list itself may be quite the task for me. I have intentionally pushed the limits throughout my life. I have experienced many things and consider myself quite fortunate. I am a goal setter and work diligently to achieve them. The rules of the list; the goal must be SMART; the anticipated outcome must be FANTASTIC.

I have learned to love acronyms. Lines of letters helped me through school; PEMDAS for mathematical order of operations and SASH to administer meds. They helped develop my critical thinking; BM: bowel movement or breast milk? They reflect continued success in nursing; RN to BSN and on to MSN. I use them to shake free competing pieces of information from my crowded memory. Why am I telling you this?

SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely. FANTASTIC: Fun, Anomalous, New, Thoughtful, Astute, Stimulating, Truthful, Imaginative, Calming. That’s what this list is made of.  

So what does one include on a list of Forty Fantastic Things to accomplish in a year?

1. Complete 40 blog posts. This will display my commitment to the entire project. It should be easy to achieve, that commits me to one per week with a week off a month!
2. Lose 40 pounds. Attainable with a loss of less than 1 pound per week for the year.
3. Complete 40 Random Acts of Kindness.
4. Have sex 40 days in a row. I’m thinking this could change my marriage, LOL.
5. Take control of my spending and journal each penny spent, for at least 40 days.
6. Share an event in NYC with my son; a play, a parade, a panhandler. We’ll see how this one unfolds.
7. Photograph and frame a series that has meaning from this experience.
8. New INK!
9. Go horseback riding.
10. Do something in the sky; parasail, skydive, hot air balloon.
11. Inspire one other person to embrace their life moment with positivity.
12. Meditate more, rage less.
13. Music, music, music. Feed my soul with music everyday.
14. Find out what my gifts are, and use at least a few of them.
15. Listen to, and take my own advice.

So, I said I have experienced many things. I have shaved my head, dyed my hair, had extensions sewn in. I have had my passport stamped in an airport, taken a cruise, snorkeled the Blue Lagoon. I have tatted up a few spots, pierced a part or two, spent New Year’s Eve in Times Square. I fell in love on the back of a bike at 165 mph, learned to ride my own, felt the horizontal g-force of a 454. Gotten bucked off a mechanical bull, milked a cow, sheered a sheep. This list is one of my greater challenges. 15 down, 25 to go. Got any suggestions?

Welcome to my world... watch me as I fly by... fabulously into forty.