50 by 60: 50 Things To Do Before I Turn Sixty

Travel not to find yourself, but to remember who you’ve been all along.”

—Anonymous

This year I had planned to fill this blog with travel news and photos from Scotland and Amsterdam brimming with quirky houses and cobblestone streets. I envisioned Instagram-worthy pictures: me, dressed in cute cropped jeans and pointed-toe flats in front of kaleidoscope flower carts, their colors spilling onto the canal’s water below. I’d be all smiles, cheek-to-cheek with the flower vendor—a new friend—cradling a bouquet of white tulips.

Isn’t that what bloggers do?

And then, I imagined, I’d write about visiting Anne Frank’s house; how the air was thick from the tears and prayers of so many before me, just like that air I waded through in the 1,000-year-old churches in France and Italy years ago. Oh, how that experience stays with me! And then, I’d describe how palpable that poor girl’s plight felt, how it sickened me, and how her tragedy had seeped into my soul and changed me.

Traveling does that. It always proves a profound experience.

In reality, Ron and I have hunkered down for the year while the worldwide pandemic rages. I’ve tried to stay inspired. And we did get away once. But mostly we stay home. Eating is a big source of my entertainment. It’s the perfect time to try new (caloric) recipes, I reason. I deserve to indulge (a lot), I insist.

Nothing soothes like comfort food and excuses.

I ended up trading those cute cropped jeans for camouflaged sweats and a pilled sweatshirt with oversized letters splaying California down one sleeve. They don’t match.

This year, I learned how to dress comfortably. I finally succumbed to the design principle that “form should follow function”. And function right now is all about comfort. Forget form. Forget fashion. Wear what feels good.

I am obsessed with my UGG® boots, a style all the men in our family loathe. I’m sorry guys, but these boots are just too comfortable and comforting. I finally understand the wear-what-looks-like-slippers-like-shoes-out-in-public vibe.

Now, the world is opening up. “Hope is on the horizon,” a friend said recently. I believe her. Vaccines are becoming plentiful and society is rejuvenating.

It’s time to get my act together, get inspired. Not only in fitness and style, but in all things.

So, I made a list of 50 things I hope to do before my 60th birthday.

October 2022 is not far off.

It’s an ambitious list. I don’t think I can accomplish everything on it. But just thinking about what I hope to accomplish and writing them down is an important step in the process.

So here they are…50 things I hope to do before I turn sixty. They are in no particular order or value.

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50 BY 60

• buy a new house 
• travel to Amsterdam
• visit Anne Frank’s house
• read Anne Frank’s diary
• get fit and tone
• make new friends on my blog
• plan an herb garden
• release lighted lanterns in Thailand 
• crochet scarves for Christmas presents
• go naturally gray. Eek!
• create more abstract art
• more girls’ days with Nicole
• write a book
• practice yoga more
• transfer all photos to digital…
• …and give copies to family
• go on more hikes with Ron
• start geocaching
• decorate + furnish new home
• throw a big party for no reason
• write in my daily journal
• hunt for location of new house
• travel to Italy
• frame favorite pictures
• redesign my office and art studio
• go hiking with boys
• vacation with grandkids
• go to the opera again
• visit more farmer’s markets
• buy jewelry from an art show
• create abstract painting for family room
• sell a story or an art piece
• go on an artist’s retreat
• read more Emily Dickinson poems
• orchestrate Nicole’s wedding 
• visit with Christie more
• buy new healthy cookware
• river trip with Ron 
• glamping with Ron
• explore new music
• attend a writer’s workshop
• host more backyard parties
• mount my art in current commercial art frames
• paint a piece to match mom’s 
• vacation by the ocean
• help Wheels on Meals more
• host weekly dinners w/ Ma & Pa

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Some notes~

• Christie is my sister
• Nicole is my niece
• Ma & Pa are my in-laws
• The boys are my sons

Some items may seem benign, but they require confidence I may not possess.

For example, creating art to display in my home is an enormous leap from just making art. Sheesh! I hardly even know how to do that. I’m a newbie. But I hope my art will be worthy enough to display on the biggest wall in our home. I can’t imagine a more satisfying endeavor. I’m going to work hard at this.

Sorting my mom’s and dad’s things (mostly pictures)? It’s been 12 years since they passed, but emotionally it feels like two. I still don’t feel like I’m ready.

And going naturally gray? Wowza! I wonder if I’m brave enough. For the record, Ron thinks I should. He’s all for it. ♥

But honestly, my natural color disappeared long ago, so what is there to mourn?

Going gray is a big step in my quest to just be me, whoever that is.

Life is change.

I retired three years ago and I’m at a stage of self-discovery. I’m reinventing myself.

Who am I when I’m not raising children or managing a public relations department? How quirky will I dress now that I don’t have to dress professionally? How will I grow when I am free to explore the world? Where will I live now that I can live anywhere? In what new ways will I give back? How will I create value?

I’m so excited to find out.

Stay safe and be well.

XOXO

(Published March 10, 2021)