February 28/March 1, 2014
I was born on February 29th. The day of eternal youth. And maybe I believed it and never really thought my youth could slip away. When I was younger, 30 seemed so old. That was always the point of, "Ok, you're not a kid anymore. It's time to grow up and get real." That's a scary thought. It's true that I'm not a kid anymore, but I'm not going to 'grow up and get real'. I'll always embrace my youthful spirit.
I'm also the youngest, in my family and in my marriage. My sister calls me 'Little Lindsay'. I love that. Maybe I just thought this would never really happen. It's a hard thing, but so much better than the alternative! I'm lucky to be turning 30. I'm lucky to have all the things that I do and for the bright future I'm creating.
Age is relative. Yes, 30 is not that old. When I'm 40, 60, 90 I'll probably look back on this time and think that I was so young. I do that now when I think of my early 20's, but at the time it didn't feel that way. This idea keeps me grounded. It reminds me to embrace the things that I may not be able to for much longer.
Like great metabolism.
This year was incredible. My list was a bit of a way to avoid the truth of the situation, but I think it helped me more than I could have ever known. I learned so much and grew in so many ways.
Here's what I've learned:
1. Drive a Mini
I really want a Mini!
2. Eat Sherms Ultimate Gripper from Tubby Dog
I shouldn't be so nervous to try different foods. I loved this so much more than I expected. Also, an egg goes well on just about everything.
I've tried a lot of different foods this year. This one really translated into my everyday life.
3. Take a class at Williams Sonoma
I'm just never going to be that great in the kitchen. That doesn't mean I shouldn't try.
4. Walk with wolf dogs at the Yamnuska Wolf Dog Sanctuary
I love spending time with my friend Kristi. I knew she was fantastic before, but I think this is the first time that her and I really spent a large amount of time one on one. She is a blessing to have in my life.
5. Go the the National Music Centre
I have great intentions, but I'm not always so great with committing to volunteering. I've done it so sparingly. I shouldn't be afraid to just say no.
6. Ride a bike from one end of Fish Creek to the other (within yyc city limits)
My dad is still one of my favorite people. I really am daddy's little girl and I'm so happy to be that.
I didn't just learn that, but I was reminded of it.
7. Try shrimp again
I don't like shrimp.
8. Watch The Shining
I knew a lot of references from this movie without having seen it, but there was a lot more to it for me to understand. It was a decent movie.
9. Be in a water balloon fight
I have some of the most incredible friends in the world.
10. Attend a wine tasting
I learned a lot about pairing cheese/meats with wine and matching flavors.
11. Graffiti Knit
People are more in awe of knitting than I had realized. It sucks that it was taken down, but it will be remembered by far more people than you and me.
12. Go to a parade
Calgary is much more supportive of gay rights (human rights, really) than I thought.
13. Canoe on Lake Louise
Lake Louise is not as close as I thought. We were late.
I love being in boats.
Courtney & Tammy can make me cackle.
14. Fly a kite
Spending time with someone much younger than me can make me feel like kitten.
15. Go on a walking tour of downtown Calgary
Calgary has more history than I gave it credit.
16. Zipline & Bobsleigh at Canada Olympic Park
I shouldn't be afraid to push my limits. I flew on the zipline upside down. That was really cool.
17. Fly in a hot air balloon
From that far up the world looks like tilt shift photography. It was so tranquil and beautiful. And it felt completely safe; I didn't expect that.
18. Walk the Alzheimer's Marathon
I needed this so much more than I realized. The amount of time in my life since my grampa passed is longer than the amount of time I had with him. It's been a long time, but I will never fully heal from watching what happened to him.
I didn't know how much I needed to be in a space with like minded people. I needed to ask for help from my friends and I needed to see how strong they were in supporting me. Strangers were even donating to me for this. It was overwhelming in an incredibly positive way.
This was like a trust fall. More people were there to catch me than I could have imagined.
19. Buy a pair of Christian Louboutin (or similar) heels
High end shoes are not always worth the high end price tag. The ones I bought are, but many that I tried on weren't.
20. Donate blood 5 more times, bringing my total to 20
I prefer plasma donations to whole blood donations.
21. Go tobogganing
I shouldn't underestimate my husband's sense of adventure.
22. Go to the Devonian Gardens
There's no such thing as a free drink. I knew this in theory, but I got to watch it here.
I went there during a work networking event. I didn't drink, but many people did and gossip spread very quickly the next day - amongst companies, not within.
23. Skate at Olympic Plaza
Hockey players have so much more talent than I had realized. And I already thought they had a lot.
24. Knit something for a homeless person
I got more out of this experience than I think Eugene did. He loved it, but I was overwhelmed by the love from him. I didn't expect that.
25. Make yarn balloons
Just because it's a craft doesn't mean I'm going to enjoy it.
26. Read at least 2 more of the classic books from the BBC list
Just because something is deemed a 'classic' doesn't mean I'm going to be all that interested in it.
27. Go to the Opera
Not all love stories are worth telling.
28. Go to the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory
I learned so much about space and how much we don't know. Space exploration is still very new.
29. Pay for a stranger's meal at a restaurant
As humans, we need to be better to one another. That way it won't be so hard to understand kindness without agenda.
Also, don't hesitate so much.
30. Climb a tree
I'm not as comfortable in a tree as I thought I would be.
If something isn't perfect, try it anyways, but keep an eye out for the best opportunity. It will likely be there if you look.
Wow, what a year.
One thing that I heard repeatedly this year was that I was inspiring people. That's an incredible idea, but the truth is that I was inspired by them.
I couldn't possibly list all of the people who have helped me with this. The support I received was overwhelming. I felt so loved this year and it taught me that it's always been there, I just haven't always seen it.
I'm living in a community of beautiful, kind and talented people. If you're reading this, you're part of that. I owe a lot of my success to you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Maybe I'm not comfortable with the idea of being 30, but I sure am excited for the future. I have some ideas for more things that could be 'list items'. Instead of making a list, I'm just going to take my enriched sense of adventure into my daily life.
Now let's go have some fun.
Specifically, thank you to my wonderful, loving and very supportive parents and husband. I love you guys more than you could ever imagine.
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