What I learned from my year of 50

Last year before my 50th birthday I decided to come up with 50 things (tasks, challenges, and/or good deeds) to do during my 50th birthday  year that would make the year stand out, be different and special. 50 years is a big milestone birthday.

If you look back on your birthdays there is almost always family, birthday cake and a few gifts some big ones and some small, so this year I wanted it to be different. The task was to come up with 50 things to do during my year. Looking back I wish I would have planned the ideas better checking out all the costs involved and if I was only able to do it on a specific date or time. I googled for ideas and some were home grown ideas but for the most part I would say I accomplished more than half of all the ideas I came up with to do during my year.

Planning is the key for success when it comes to doing lots of different events, also motivation is a big part of the planning, are you willing to do a task or idea on your own or do you have to have someone with you to do it? I think that question was a learning experience in itself because there were things I would be motivated to do with others but I wasn't keen on doing them by myself. For example the longest day of the year June 21st I wanted to have a picnic but everyone in my family was busy. I didn't want go on a picnic by myself like I should have because I didn't want to be alone. Looking back I wish I had gone by myself and I enjoyed my time.

The tasks that included the family like canoeing on the Cuyahoga River were great fun and I so appreciated my son tagging along on many of my tasks like the Portage Lakes Polar Bear Jump, Climbing the Terminal Tower, Glass Blowing, and he was especially great support with the Zip lining experience.

Some of these tasks were a journey into my own self discovery to conquer a fear, to push myself out of my own rut, or challenge myself beyond my ordinary life. I look at my list and wish so badly that I completed more of the tasks but there is only so much time in the day or in the year to get things done.

What the tasks did for me was made me look forward to certain ones like going to a Broadway show (in Akron), have a facial, or blow glass at Akron Glass Works because those were dates on the calendar that could not be put off or changed. With those events there was a built in excitement and anticipation for the event to happen! Planning for different events like the stair climb of the Cleveland Terminal Tower sometimes took preparations, I didn't prepare for the climb in 2016 but when I did it again in 2017 I cut 20 minutes off my time and felt a real sense of accomplishment. I was able to cut my time and enjoy the process even more. Additionally by combining some of the tasks like running the steps of the Canton McKinley Monument with my stair training I was able to use that as one of my practice stair climbs for the Cleveland event. Double the fun!

The simple tasks like watching sunrises and sunsets sometimes got complicated by my schedule because you have to be in the right place to see them. What I learned is if you make an effort even if you are looking at the sunrise over a gas station it is still a blessing from God to admire and enjoy.

Buy someone a cup of coffee, give a waitress/waiter a big tip, and donate to someone in need were really spontaneous tasks that just happened and afterwards I crossed the task off my list thinking how easy it is to make a difference is someone's life...why don't I do it more? I was able to sell some of my crochet creations with the money I bought a 3 bags of winter socks for the Haven of Rest homeless shelter and my heart still feels big from the feeling I got when I dropped off all the brand new socks for those in need. 

Teach a class, write notes to friends and family or someone you don't really know, re-read a book from high school seemed like small tasks but after they were done I added them to my list for this year because the simplest things mean the most. I bet there were a lot of people who hardly knew me that got an anonymous card who were thinking where did this come from? It really feels good to be a good surprise in someone's day.

I would say that the zip lining was one of the hardest tasks on my list because it wasn't just zip lining it was an obstacle course too, so it was a reminder again that I am getting older and that I am out of shape. One of the obstacles almost had me in tears because I am so weak that my upper body strength couldn't pull me up. I had to take a few minutes to calm down and re think the obstacle so I could make it to the other side of the rope ladder. It was very humbling, so humbling that I hired a trainer to help me get in better shape for my next 50 years. With his help I was able to bike 50 miles indoors, get a better sense of what I needed to do go get in shape for my age. I didn't reach all my physical goals on my list I only was able to do half of my 50 - 5K's in a year and I didn't lose 50lbs in a year but I did lose 10 and I am on my way to almost 15lbs since last November. I can say I did walk the Canton Hall of Fame Half Marathon 13.1 miles! The thing about goals or tasks you have to give yourself enough time to achieve and prepare for them especially with how busy all of our lives are everyday.

Some of my silly tasks like Portage Lakes Polar Bear Jump I can now say I did it and not sure if I have to do it again because, boy was it cold! Never say never though... Donate blood wasn't a silly task but what was silly is that I waited so long to do it, the fact that I saved 3 lives with my blood really makes me feel good that I gave of my heart.

I think my favorite task that was the catalyst for all of these ideas was to ride on a Merry Go Round on my birthday. This year when I did it again on my birthday for the 3rd year in a row it was full of bitter sweet memories of my mom who rode on the same ride a month before she died in 2015. We weren't sure if she would make it to her birthday at the end of May so it was important for me to do all the things that she liked to make her happy one more time.

When it came time to think about my 50th birthday I looked back at what makes me happy and I realized that there are a lot of things I haven't accomplished yet and some I have and should still be doing again. It is so easy to get into a rut and live our lives, go to work, come home, watch TV, go to bed and then make it an endless cycle of days that just keep continuing until you are faced with an illness or a realization that there is more to life than just getting by day to day. I have already started my year of 51 tasks finishing up some of the ones I didn't complete last year and some new ones! Like, Break a block of wood with my hand, extract honey from a bee hive, learn to swim, make a tie dye shirt, etc...I will share my list in another post and post updates here on this blog of my accomplishments.

More than anything I hope that my story has inspired you to do your own year of 10, 20, 30, 40 or 60 tasks to remind yourself of who you are and enjoy life to the fullest.