A New Mission: 35 Firsts

I love setting goals for myself which probably isn’t a shock if you have been reading my blog this year.  There is something very satisfying about having a purpose, something to work towards and although I tried to fight against it for a long time I have come to realize it really does help to make me feel good.  It helps keep me moving forward and working to live the life that I have always wanted.  So it is with this in mind that I came up with a new mission as a way to celebrate my 35^th birthday.  Between now and my 36^th birthday I am going to try and experience 35 firsts.  I’m not sure if it is possible but I’m excited to try and really even if I don’t succeed I’m still going to have a whole bunch of new experiences to add into my world.

This whole mission came about after having a conversation with my Nan.  She is 60 years older than me (making her 95).  When I was visiting with her shortly after her last birthday she said how she got all these cards about turning 95.  I proceeded to tell her that she was wrong she was only 94 to which of course she assured me she was in fact now 95.  The reason for the confusion is that I was positive I was only turning 34 this year.  Somehow I had lost a year and/or forgotten my last birthday.  That realization made me want to do something special this year so that I would remember it.

The thought was still running around in my mind as I was working on finishing up some work on my photo-a-day project from last year.  As I looked at all the photos and the stories I had written I was getting to re-experience some of the cool things I did last year.  I came to the conclusion that part of what made last year so cool and special was I had a lot of firsts – everything from getting both writing and a photograph published to driving to Vancouver to see a concert to trying a world of new food tastes as I explored vegetarianism part time.  When I look back on my journal for last year I realized that although I still had ups and downs over all what I had written was generally positive.  Through my journal I could also see how much I had discovered about myself, my thoughts and my beliefs which I contribute to the many experiences I had.  It just seemed to make sense that opening myself up to new adventures again would probably be a pretty good thing.

Thus the idea was born – 35 firsts before my 36^th birthday.  My small list of firsts that I started to create once I made the decision has all sorts of things on it from locations I would like to see but haven’t to things I want to do but haven’t done and even some foods that I want to try.  I want to grow and explore and learn as much as I can so I can continue to find my place in this world.  It is a desire that has been growing in me as I continue to lose weight.  I no longer want to be defined by how I look or the limitations I have so I guess it means I have to figure out just how I want to be defined.  So I will strive to push the boundaries of my box and my comfort zone but trying new things.

I have a feeling that the next year in my life is going to be the best one yet and I can’t wait to share it with everyone.