50 Before 50

**[ED. Note: I created a page for this post so I could update it regularly without having to scroll through old posts. See the top menu bar or click here for the updated version]

**I turned 47 on March 6th. I don’t shy away from my age, I don’t get sad about it, or lie about it, or wish I were aging in reverse. I embrace it. I own it. I have made it this far and it’s been a pretty amazing 47 years. I have a few frown lines, a few gray hairs, and lord knows my memory is not what it used to be, but each day I wake up is a blessing and today, on the anniversary of my entrance into this crazy world, I am thinking about how much I still have to do. In that spirit, I have decided to publish a “50 before 50” list: fifty things I’d like to do before I turn 50. Some of the things on the list are things that have been on my mind a while and may even have accomplished or am in the process or accomplishing; others are things that have come to me more recently. The list is a work I progress. My hope is to blog about each item as I accomplish it (or attempt to) and I’ll link those posts here. These are in no particular order… except the first one, because NKOTB!

1. See NKOTB in concert (again). This one is happening! Click here for an update!
2. Watch every episode of West Wing again. This one is constantly in progress because it’s the greatest show in the history of shows. And Martin Sheen is just the bee’s knees. His book with his son Emilio, Along the Way, is among my favorites. I’d love to sit down with him over a cup of tea and just chat about faith.
3. Go to a Red Sox game.
4. Visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney. I cannot wait for this one. The attraction is opening this August and we’re hoping to visit in November!
5. Visit Myrtle Beach.
6. Reconnect with some old friends. In progress. Stay tuned…
7. Go to a Pat’s game.
8. Organize my office. Feels like a losing battle, but I’m working on it.
9. Take my son to visit New York.
10. Get a(nother) tattoo.
11. Go indoor skydiving.
12. Attend my 30th(!) high school reunion.
13. Have a meaningful conversation with a stranger.
14. Make a scrapbook.
15. Go to a drive-in movie.
16. Put my gi on and go to the dojo one more time.
17. Learn to cook anything from scratch.
18. See Billy Joel in concert. Have tickets for his show at Fenway in September!
19. Complete message banking.
20. Host a movie night by the pool.
21. Finish writing screenplay about Paul.
22. Take my son to another Imagine Dragons concert.
23. Visit Washington D.C.
24. Rent a boat and spend the day out on the ocean.
25. Go to Comic-Con.
26. See Air Supply in concert.
27. Write my name in wet cement.
28. Slide down a firehouse pole. Not sure I could physically do this one, but how much fun would that be??
29. Cousins road trip to visit family in Kentucky.
30. Spread the rest of Paul’s ashes.
31. Go to a taping of Mom.
32. Get more involved in ALS fundraising and advocacy.
33. See Star Wars IX. Coming to a theater near me December 20, 2019. Cannot WAIT! RISE OF SKYWALKER!
34. Make more time to pray/meditate each day.
35. Take some classes at a local college. This one is in progress. I took a philosophy class last fall. I had to withdraw from a winter class I’d signed up for because I developed a respiratory infection and missed too much. Hoping to go back.
36. Become more active on Facebook and Twitter and use it for good.
37. Reconnect with my cousin Kristen. Happily in progress!
38. DJ Nash and the writers of A Million Little Things. I love this show and really want to be a fly on the wall of that writers’ room. Not realistic, but this is my bucket list and I’m keeping it on there!
39. Read the books I’ve loaded on Kindle over the past couple of months. (And then load some more.)
40. Fill out advance directives.
41. Do something completely out of my comfort zone.
42. Complete a D&D campaign with my son.
43. Watch all Star Wars movies in a row in a single weekend.
44. Completely unplug for a week weekend (baby steps…)
45. Visit my childhood neighborhood.
46. Visit my grandparent’s old house and try to get inside to look around (by asking the current owners, not breaking in…)
47. Go to a Kentucky Derby party (and rock a big hat!).
48. Prepare a will.
49. Experience a flash mob.
50. I’m keeping this one open, because you never know what tomorrow may bring…