Well, as much as I'd like to, I guess it wouldn't be right to let my 40th birthday go by without notice. I would have liked to have skipped this day entirely, since, rather than celebrating a year of personal successes, I mostly spent it despondent over not being where I wanted to be physically, spiritually, and emotionally when I turned the big 4-0. Nevertheless, it is here, and I cannot stop it. So instead, I will make the same wish I made one year ago, and hope I get better cards dealt to me this year. `Cause without a good hand to work with, it's impossible to win the pot. No amount of hard work can make up for the bad luck of a lousy set of cards. No matter what Dr. Phil might say. Sometimes life just isn't fair....or helpful.
But enough with the whining. On to the good part.....hope and dreams. Gotta have them. At least I do. It's what keeps me going. So, I thought I should make a bucket list. I've lived 40 years, and in another 40 years I'll be 80. Not to be a downer or anything, but with all of my health issues, I find it highly unlikely that I'll be doing much after the age of 80 besides sitting on my front porch reading piles of books until the Lord decides He's ready to take me home. So let's make it 40 in 40. Forty things I want to do in the next forty years. Once again, I can only accomplish as much as I can with the hand I am dealt, but let's assume for the sake of my emotional well-being that the next forty years bring some really good cards. Now, there are some things I hope to do that I have absolutely no control over, like see all four of my kids happily married, have lots of grandkids, etc. I can wish for these things, but I'm only going to include on the bucket list things that are mostly in my hands, and not God's. So here it is: my list of hopes, dreams, and goals. Let's see where it may take me.
1. Go snowmobiling.
2. Learn to play the violin.
3. Maintain a close relationship with my niece(s) and nephews
4. Re-learn Spanish so I can volunteer within the Hispanic community.
5. Publish a non-fiction book.
6. Stay at a working ranch and go on a trail ride.
7. Ride the zipline in Kauai.
8. Lose weight so I can do both of the above.
9. Rent a houseboat for a family vacation.
10. Celebrate my 20th anniversary in Hawaii. Without the kids.
11. See Kian and his birth mom reunited.
12. Become a more active advocate for adoption and foster care reform.
13. Be a vital part of my grandchildren's lives.
14. Help build an orphanage in Mexico and be an active part in its success.
15. Live a healthy lifestyle so I can actually make it to 80.
16. Get a degree in Education to supplement my English degree and have the option of becoming an English
teacher.
17. Have a home with a front porch.
18. Encourage and support my children in finding and fulfilling God's purpose for their lives.
19. Become a more courageous and frequent witness for Christ.
20. Buy less and give more.
21. Read a good book once a month.
22. Love my husband more and better with each passing year
23. Spend my 25th anniversary at La Meridien Bora Bora in a hut over the water
24. Spend Christmas at a lodge with my family and go on a sleigh ride in the snow
25. Go on a gondola ride through the canals of Venice
26. Finish my genealogy research and compile my family history into a book
27. Drive across country in an RV with my husband when he retires
28. Enjoy the journey...."Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." Helen Keller
29. Take another family vacation to Hawaii before Kylie starts college
30. Build our dream house and fill it with friends, our children's friends, and family
31. Create a "life book" for each of my children
32. Have my children not just love me, but like me....not just put up with me, but respect me.
33. Work for an adoption agency
34. Find out if it's God's will for us to do foster care
35. Hear Kian talk in complete understandable sentences
35. Sing with my dad, brothers, and Kara in a family ensemble
36. Go to my 20th college reunion looking fabulous
37. Celebrate my 50th birthday (my kids will be 14, 16, 21, 24....yikes!) at a lodge in a winter wonderland
with my family
38. Throw a 50th anniversary bash for my parents
39. Become a better piano player
40. Draw closer to God with each passing year
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