swim naked, defy gravity, and 99 other essential things to accomplish before turning 30...
- swim naked
- break all of your parents' arbitrary rules
- grow something
- dump toxic friends
- speak a foreign language
- buy a kick-ass matress
- draw and frame a self-portrait
- stop chronic over-apologizing
- create your own sisterhood
- travel solo
- develop a plan b
- know your friends' family tree
- embrace your inner eight-year old
- read: women's bodies, women's wisdom by christiane northrup, m.d.
- build a raging campfire
- make the first move
- know the other mouth-to-mouth
- be your own muse
- master a signature family recipe
- quit something
- find the perfect red lipstick
- negotiate for something expensive
- google yourself
- hold your booze
- track down your best friend from kindergarten
- masturbate
- write a complaint letter
- claim your granny panties
- make brownies from scratch
- exorcise the words "like" and "you know" from your vocabulary
- find your religion
- write thank-you notes for everything
- perfect your a.m. stretch
- declare your birthday a national holiday
- stock an emergency disaster kit
- accept compliments
- minimize pointless drama
- unplug your t.v. for a while
- dye your hair an outrageous color
- invest in some seriously frivolous undies
- own your mistakes
- take your hobby more seriously than your job
- talk to strangers
- get health insurance
- hook up something high tech by yourself
- live through a blind date
- be a gracious guest
- escape creeps and kick criminal ass
- invest in earplugs
- lose your virginity again
- know your blood type
- confront someone who's done you wrong
- walk in heels
- write a body manifesto
- watch the sun rise and set on the same day by yourself
- disagree out loud
- memorize your ring size
- have a mantra
- research your family's medical history
- do it somewhere risky
- open a bottle of champagne
- make more money than you spend
- be a nudist for a day
- adopt an awkward teenager
- eat soy
- dress for longevity
- kick one habit
- defy gravity
- own a cashmere sweater
- use a great dermo
- get over yourself
- sleep in a hammock
- own a toolbox with all of the basics
- jettison your "skinny" jeans
- collect correspondence with friends
- get a massage
- memorize your favorite smells; surround yourself with them
- fall in love (or lust) without blowing off your friends
- dub the "greatest hits" from your childhood
- care about where your food comes from
- fly first class
- cultivate your own style
- carry something to read, a notebook, and a pen at all times
- forgive your parents
- be a dork.
- stop slamming other women
- get waxed down there
- adopt another motherland
- tell someone your deepest, darkest, secret
- make a killer cocktail
- read your old diaries
- tie a few knots
- have your fortune told
- cry often
- give yourself flowers
- stop looking for a soulmate
- give props to a teacher
- learn how not to be a flake
- give yourself a make-under
- be notorious for something
- bounce back
...and here are some that I felt the need to add for myself...I'm sure this addition will continue to grow
102. run a marathon
103. volunteer for something
104. have a sixth-grade style, girls only, sleep-over
105. write a novel
106. go to med school
Last year, my older sister gave me this book by Colleen Rush entitled "Swim Naked, Defy Gravity & 99 Other Essential things to Accomplish Before Turning 30". Well, at least I think she gave it to me. It may very well be that I took it upon myself to "liberate" said book from her room. Either way, the book is now in my possession. So, here I am with this somewhat corny, but mostly more insightful-than-it-looks checklist of things to accomplish before turning some arbitrary age that the author decided was a good cut off point to get things done by, and I decide to actually complete her checklist...and chronicle my completion of each task both electronically and in a paper journal. Why? I have no idea. I suppose I'm at sort of an impasse in my life right now. I'm finished with school, not sure what is going to happen next. I am, as planned, getting ready to take my MCATs in the fall, as well as go back for my Master's degree in biology, but still, I feel like I'm standing still. "I felt very still and empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo." Part of me has always identified with that quote. No matter how many good things I have in my life, I always feel like the eye of some terrible storm. The question now becomes, is life about finding that inner peace to be able to be comfortable as the eye of the storm, or is life about seizing the moment and becoming part of the waves it makes? I don't for a second think that anything I scribble in a notebook will show me the meaning of life, but maybe what I do will show me the meaning of who I am, which is, perhaps, a more important revelation altogether.
If you care to read through my ramblings as they unfold, you are welcome. If your only reasons for reading this are to scoff, judge, and demean...save it for someone who cares*. (*not me) I'm doing this for myself, no one else. But if, by some strange act, what I do/write helps someone else feel comforted or less alone, then I've accomplished even more than what I set out to do.
As an aside, please be advised that I do not intend to complete the afore mentioned checklist in the order it was written. Part of the fun will be choosing the order in which I desire and adding new tasks as I see fit.
Enjoy.
