I just updated my 50 before 50 list. My plan is to complete every item on this list before my 50th birthday. I’m about half-way through the list. I have reasons why I put some of the items on my list like I did … like catch a lightning bug and still have it blink.
I’ve never had an interest in catching bugs of any kind, but this particular item harkens back to a story Da told me when I was growing up about how when he was growing up he used to run around his backyard with an empty mayonnaise jar catching lighting bugs. I remember he was sad because whenever he caught them, they would stop blinking until he released them.
And so I was curious to see if I would be able to catch a lightning bug and still have it blink.
Well, every summer, I sit outside in the early evening hours in the hope of spotting a flash of light in the backyard. Lightning bugs, like horned toads, have become more rare in my area. I don’t know if it’s the lack of rain, the incredible heat, more humans encroaching on their habitat … or a combination of the three. These days, I’m thankful to even see a lightning bug, never mind try to chase it and catch it.
Other items on my 50 before 50 like walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, petting a manta ray, or riding a motorcycle are me being goofy. They’re things I think would be fun to try once. Folks who know me in my professional life only know the obsessive-compulsive, anal-retentive, rules-driven me. It’s fun to see their reaction when they read my list and see that I have a whimsical side, too.
The items on my list that I am most proud of all have to do with endurance races. It’s not just about finishing the race, it’s about disciplining myself to train for the weeks & months leading up to them. Crossing the finish line is icing on the cake. While these are the most demanding, I think they are the most rewarding … physically and mentally.
My 46th birthday is next month.
Four years left to finish my list.
Me fear turning 50? Nah.
BRING IT!