Machu Picchu will have to wait...

I toyed with the idea of making a big trip this coming year. After watching "A Football Life" episode about Steve Gleason (a New Orleans Saints player who is now living with ALS), I wanted to go to Machu Picchu to hike. It seemed like the right thing to do in 2014 and would be a challenge that I never thought I would take on. But I have been thinking more and more about 2014 and have decided that Machu Picchu will have to wait.

You see, in November of 2014, I turn 50 years old. For me, age has never been a big deal. I always think of all my friends and acquaintances being of the same age. I turned 30 with glee. A big surprise party was fun on my 40th. But I already feel like this new decade is going to be an issue. I guess in many ways, I thought I would have been doing epic things by the time I was 50. That I would be in a position that goals were being met. Now, don't get me wrong. I have done some things that, if I think about where I was a few years ago, amaze me but there is so much more I want to be able to do.

A friend at the gym asked me to participate in the Susan G. Komen Three Day Walk in San Diego. The walk is November 21st through the 23rd. I have long wanted to participate in an event like this but the funding raising aspect has always terrified me. I spoke with some friends and thought a lot about it. I signed up. I am committing to the fund raising and feel good about it. I also think that this will give me an opportunity to celebrate my sister's life. Even though it was not breast cancer that she was diagnosed with, I truly believe that if we can make progress with any type of cancer, it will go a long way in helping understand all types of cancer. More than anything, I want to honor my sister's memory.

This commitment then grew into a list of 50 things I want to do in the year I turn 50. I think this will help me ease myself into this new decade. Here is the current draft of my list. I do think some things will change over the next few days. There may also be some changes throughout the year (my list, my rules). If I can accomplish these things on this list, it will be an enormously fulfilling year. Some of these items I would do anyway but they are still things that I would never have considered doing a few years ago. Some of the items terrify me....but that's a good thing, right?

So, here is the draft of the list right now:

My 50 Epic and Not so Epic Things to do during the year I turn 50

1. Commitment day 5k (likely walking it as my ankle has been bothering me)

2. Volunteer at a soup kitchen

3. Learn to play the banjo

4. Two minute plank

5. Republic Plaza Stair Climb

6. Climb a 14er

7. Take a cooking class

8. Photo a day for a year

9. Participate in a flash mob

10. September 11th Stair Climb

11. Dead lift 200 pounds

12. Hike in Moab

13. Tattoo of periwinkle to honor my sister's memory

14. Finish the Manitou Incline 15 minutes faster than in the past (I have to look up my times)

15. Make soap

16. Volunteer at a no kill shelter or rescue

17. Paddle board

18. White water rafting

19. Read Moby Dick

20. Write and share poetry

21. Triple Dog Dare

22. Spend the day at the Metropolitan Museum and go through wings I never would in the past

23. 100 days sugar/caffeine free

24. Steel Challenge

25. Take a Finnish Language class

26. Paint pottery with a five year old

27. Pay for someone's lunch/Starbucks unexpectedly

28. Learn to make gluten free pasta from scratch

29. Do a pull up

30. Go fishing

31. Snowshoe

32. Mud run/obstacle run

33. Climb the rock wall at the gym

34. Make sauerkraut

35. Volunteer at a local race

36. Stair climb in another state

37. Three day walk for Breast Cancer
38. 25 burpees without rest (good form)

39. Run/walk half maration

40. Do Olympic distance triathlon

41. Visit the four states I have not yet been in (Arkansas, Alabama, North Dakota, and Hawaii)

42. Eat raw oysters

43. Tent camp

44. See the sunrise at the ocean

45. 5,000,000 steps
46. Box jump (small box)
47. Koko Head trail hike in Hawaii
48. New River Gorge Bridge Walk in West Virginia
49. Whale watch trip in zodiac boat
50. Wear smaller jeans by December 31st

Again this is just the first draft. In the next few days, I will be reviewing this list with the calendar to see what all is possible.

Machu Picchu will have to wait until 2015....but 2014 will still be a great year.