Who believes I am almost 50. Middle of June to be a little more exact. It's so weird, to get so old. To look in the mirror, and not recognize the woman staring back at me. So many years on hold, fighting the fires of NOW and raising children… -- these days they are more self-sufficient, and I have to think about what I want to DO. My oldest, my brilliant 16 year old sweet boy with autism -- musings for him in another post.
So, I have a vision for when I am 50, which is basically, ducks in a row so I can move forward with confidence! Clear goals, healthy mind and body, house that supports clarity and getting things done, etc… So this is my list, in no particular order:
1. Weigh 130 or less (annoying how weight was the first thing that came to mind)
2. Launch my online business (some sort of photography instruction)
3. Purchase a sectional sofa for family room (so there is a place where the family can congregate -- right now, all 5 of us cannot sit cozily and watch a movie together anywhere in the house!
4. Have happy summer plans to look forward to (summer camps for kids, some sort of trip for all of us, maybe a camping trip?)
5. Declutter the bedroom bookshelf (books on so many different stages of my development and growth…hard to let some of it go, but I want clarity on that bookshelf, not books about old dreams and interests (Voyager magazines, doll collecting books, guitar books, gardening books, etc…)
6. Paint my front stoop (it's a mess from winter salt, snow, and shoveling)
7. Clean my garden, a beautiful colorful entrance (for me, and for my clients)
8. Finish painting the master bathroom and bedroom (yes I'm a little ADD, I started the room 8 years ago? Never finished…)
9. Clean and organize the bathroom (think spa. think calm, think zen, think peace, think Swedish)
10. Clean and organize the master closet (Wardrobe intervention. Get rid of things I don't wear, period. No saving it because it was expensive, or so and so gave it to me….)
11. Buy cute, comfortable summer shoes with support for myself (and my daughter, who pronates inward)
12. Approach local business with my partnership idea. (I have stood at the front of this business and talked myself out of going inside)
13. Create a video for my photography website
14. Create a cosy space in the basement for kids and clients to hang out (this is a big project but it MUST BE DONE).
15. Eat dinner at Chez Francois (it has been 35 years since I ate there, I'd like to go back….maybe for my 50th birthday)
16. Purchase a new mattress (our mattress is so terrible, so old, so uncomfortable. It is 14 years old now….)
17. Purchase a new wig (I have alopecia, I've worn a wig since I was 23 or 24….)
18. Feng shui my bedroom (It doesn't support rest and rejuvenation. It is chaos. I want clarity and calm in that room.)
19. Feng Shiu oldest child room (he is in the old homeschool room, and there are so many precious books and games and learning things I've had trouble letting go of…but he also needs a place to support his growth and development. I want to make the bedroom a special haven for him, that still invites the other kids in…
20. Feng Shui daughter's room (her room is so small, I need to elevate her bed to give her space for a desk or sofa underneath….I want it to be a calm retreat for her too…)
21. Feng Shui youngest's room (his room needs the least amount of work, but it could support him a little more too…
22. Do my 2013 taxes (uggh! shoeboxes of receipts -- need I say more?? uggh!)
23. Run/walk 5K (this should be easier, now that we have a dog I've been walking daily since December, rain, sleet, snow, or sun…
24. Donate or tag the stuff in the garage and bedroom
25. Clear out garage so my van fits in it
26. Prepare baby guide for my business (loved, LOVED photographing the newborn last week)
27. Prepare family guide for my business
28. Prepare wedding guide for my business
29. Print copies of my senior sales guide
30. Wardrobe makeover
31. Fix the jewelry from PB
32. Clean out basement storage craft room
33. Clean out under stairs storage room
34. Clean out back storage room
35. College Prep for older kids
36. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for oldest (to work on social anxiety piece)
37. Call Heba (bff from high school)
38. Decorate house with my photo art
39. Go Kayaking with kids in Potomac
40. Write a will
41. Organize personal pictures of kids (shoemakers kids go shoeless!)
42. Regular R.A.K.S…
43. Write letters to those who are special to me
44. Pick up my guitar
45. Family bike ride on C&O canal
46. Financial plan
47. Morning Routine 5 days or more a week
48. Collect best recipes
49. Family trip to DC
50. Journal every day (I kept a journal from age 11 until about 10 years ago, when real life got in the way. I think journaling is really important to knowing who you are, taking that time to reflect, and let stuff out of your head that is just blocking you from moving forward, setting goals, achieving dreams.
Well the countdown begins!!
