ThirtyThirtyThirty

Thirty is a time of reflection. August 2, 2012 marks that special day. With all the hustle and bustle of moving back to the States, I find time for a little reflecting. What have I accomplished? What do I still have left to do? What am I happy I haven’t done yet? Let’s see.

30 Things I’ve Done Before 30

1.     Gotten married and divorced (might as well put that at the top)

2.     Lived in a foreign country (not just Japan for 2 years but a month in Mexico and 2 months in Spain) to teach ESL (my dream since I was 18)

3.      Gone through a punk rock stage in college where I cut my hair short and dyed it lots of crazy colors on a weekly basis

4.     Slept on the beach to watch the sun come up

5.     Snowboarded (twice)

6.     Been in an earthquake, a tornado, and various hurricanes and typhoons

7.     Been to a lot of funerals

8.     Learned to cook good food and enjoy it

9.     Been in a bad car wreck and a small bike wreck, without suffering any major injuries

10.  Had a hangover

11.  Knitted a sweater

12.  Smoked

13.  Gotten a B.A. and a Master’s degree

14.  Written a book (when I was 13 . . . it’s not that good)

15.  Read the entire Bible in a year

16.  Owned a house

17.  Broken a few hearts and had my own broken a couple of times

18.  Shaken the President’s hand (Spain, 2003)

19.  Seen a baby be born

20.  Learned to enjoy running and playing sports after years of hating both; become super interested in yoga

21.  Traveled to 28 states, Mexico, Bolivia, Spain, Canada, the Philippines, Japan, and a layover in Taiwan

22.  Lied

23.  Discovered I can be severely claustrophobic

24.  Lived in the country: raccoon hunting; deer skinning, hog butchering. . . I've seen chickens get their heads cut off and still run around, I've eaten fried squirrel and frog legs.

25.  Almost died on various occasions: horse stepping on my chest, slicing my head open falling through a glass fishtank, falling in the freezing creek, falling in the waterfall, etc. . . .

26.  Had a spiritual crisis

27.  Been depressed and recovered from it

28.  Learned Spanish and Japanese

29.  Run on the track and field team and broken two school records

30.  Prayed at a Shinto shrine and made a Tanabata wish

Never Ever Have I Ever . . .

1.     Been pregnant or had children

2.     Backpacked Europe (I missed that boat back when everyone “took a year off” between high school and college and/or between college and a real job)

3.     Been skydiving/hangliding/bungee jumping/hot air ballooning/rock climbing/scuba diving/white water rafting/snorkeling/snow skiing (and I’m OK with all of that)

4.     Published anything good

5.     Quit biting my nails for good

6.     Milked a cow or drank fresh cow’s milk (but I have had fresh goat milk)

7.     Had enough money not to worry about it

8.     Broken a bone (knock on wood)

9.     Run a 5-minute mile or run in a 5K competitively

10.  Been to England/Chile/Argentina/Scandinavia/Europe or lived in Mexico (and I want to!)

11.  Seen Les Miserables live

12.  Been able to catch up to my sister

13.  As an adult, lived in the same place for longer than 4 years

14.  Stolen anything from a store

15.  Had hair down to my waist

16.  Been in terrible danger (a fire, a terrorist attack, a hostage situation, etc.)

17.  Done calligraphy well

18.  Dated a guy just so he’d buy me things, or been impressed with guys who drive "cool" cars

19.  Forgotten my grandparents

20.  Been in a fistfight

21.  Gotten my Master’s in Spanish from a university in a Spanish-speaking country (but I will -- !)

22.  Followed the Laura Ingalls Wilder trail from Wisconsin to Missouri

23.  WWOOFed (worked on an organic farm)

24.  Taken the Catholic Eucharist

25.  Read as many classic books as I want to

26.  Figured out what I'm going to do with my life

27.  Kissed Mr. Tamura or Mr. Morita

28.  Had anything besides my ears pierced, or gotten a tattoo

29.  Been able to stay up all night without suffering the next day

30.  Managed to think with my head instead of my feelings 

So what does this mean? Will I write another post when I'm 60 to see what I've accomplished in the next thirty years . . . ?