Simple & Sincere

The Lord's Prayer from The Jesus Storybook Bible
(by Sally Lloyd-Jones and Jago)

"30 Before 30" with a Twist

I love the concept of a "30 Before 30" list.  I have several friends who have made them.  However, most people I know don't actually get to do everything on their lists.  It's mostly just for fun.  As described earlier this year, my goal-oriented, first-born, overachiever personality can't quite handle this yet.  So instead, I decided to make a "30 Before 30" list sort of in reverse...I looked back at the last decade and made a list of 30 things I actually did in my 20's.  This was actually quite life-giving and fun, which is the point of all "30 Before 30" lists anyway.  Some are deep and profound; some are silly and trivial.  I also tried hard not to make them all about travel, though that certainly is a prominent theme. :)

So in no particular order, here are 30 "noteworthy" things I did before 30....

1. started blogging
2. went fishing for the first time
3. lived in a foreign country for two years a missionary 
4. maintained the exact same optical vision
5. bought my first (and second) Macbook
6. ran a half-marathon
7. fulfilled my dream of walking on green grass with snow-capped mountains in the background a la Sound of Music (in Switzerland)
8. drove into a hurricane
9. started playing guitar
10. taught more than 200 children
11. read through the Bible in one year
12. lived in the inner city of New Orleans for a summer
13. attempted to and successfully water-skied for the first time
14. learned to speak Spanish (nearly) fluently
15. joined Facebook and Instagram
16. graduated from college
17. sang regular karaoke and Korean karaoke (noraebang)
18. watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in person (something I've wanted to do since I was a kid) 
19. became a regular hot tea drinker each morning 
20. started contributing to a Roth IRA
21. survived two very serious car accidents
22. learned how to mow the lawn
23. began graduate school and completed more than half of my M.S. in Education
24. walked along the white cliffs of Dover, England
25. lived with at least 15 different roommates 
26. ate at more local restaurants
27. helped plant a church  
28. went snowshoeing for the first time
29. discovered I love bell peppers
30. visited multiple foreign countries and got my third passport

So, there it is.  My "30 Before 30" list.  When you're doing it in retrospect, it's hard to keep it at just 30. No plans for a "40 Before 40" list at this point, but I do hope to make it to Italy and Machu Pichu sometime in this next decade.  And who knows, maybe by age 40, I'll be laid-back enough to make a "40 Before 40" list and only do half the things on the list. ;)