Tuesday, April 16, 2013

40 at 40

My 39th year on this planet has been quite eventful and I've managed to accomplished some good things and completed some long held goals. Becoming a Ski Instructor and finally getting my full motorbike licence are two that spring straight to mind.

But what about next year?

I've had an idea for a couple of months now that I should do something to celebrate the fact that I am turning 40. It's a big birthday and I wanted to do something more than just a big party, although I'd like one of those too! So I have come up with the idea of doing 40 things through out the year of my 40th and decided to ask my friends and family for suggestions.

I've got the name 40 at 40. It even works as a hashtag #40@40

So the suggestions. To start with I had to come up with a couple of ground rules;

Firstly it must be something I haven't done before. This is quite a fun bit of the exercise when you get to realise some of what you have managed to accomplished so far in life. I my case things like becoming a ski instructor, trying fire breathing, singing in front of a paying audience, eating snails and getting a degree, I managed so it must be something else.

Next it must improve my knowledge, generally make me a better informed person. This has prompted a couple of odd suggestions like fire a gun and eat insects. I've fired plenty of guns in video games but it wouldn't be right talk for me to talk for real about them and what it feels like without having really tried one.
Thirdly it must be possible to do in the year. As much as I would like to go into space or visit every country time and money just wont allow it (yet!)
Finally it must be survivable. It's surprising the number of thing suggested by my 'friends' which fail this one. 

It's not really meant to be a bucket list, I think I've got a few year before I need to start thinking about that. More a series of events and experiences to celebrate life which are new/interesting/fun/exciting.

So anyway this is a sample list (as of 16 April 2013, the week before my birthday, the count is 103) edited slightly for taste (a lot of the ideas where generated by giving the list to people when I was in the pub so gone are the rude and more illegal ones)

Write a book
Take a barista course
Record a single
Black run mountain biking
Snowboard backflip
Go to Asia and eat insects
Run a marathon
Get married!
Deep water soloing
Transsiberia train journey
Sail across an ocean
Heckle a stand up
Cross dress to work
Go clubbing in a wedding dress
Streak (+Top hat)
Wagyu beef - eat it!
Double D ale (try home brew)
Learn a Latin or Ballroom dance
Crash a wedding
Ride a hot air balloon
Fly a helicopter
Learn a  new language to conversational level
Back, crack & sack wax
Get a tattoo
Get a piercing
Swim with dolphins
Bee a beekeeper
Do a reverse jagerbomb
Design a fashion range
Create an open source project on Github
Visit Angkor Wat at sunrise
Learn to play an AC/DC song on the drums
Heliskiing
Break a Guinness world record
Visit Mecca
Read all the Russian classics
Swim the Thames
Watch all the best Oscar movies
Climb an active volcano
Skydive like Sean L (he broke his legs!)
Scuba dive with great white sharks
London to Brighton bike ride

All I have to do now, once the hangover from my birthday party has gone, is pick which ones I want to do, plan them, do them and then tell everyone about them on this blog.

Wish me luck