More or Less: The Road to 30

Sunday, 10/23/2011, marks my 30th birthday on this planet. Wow. I really wasn't sure I would make it this far (life's got no guarantees after all), but now that I'm nearly there, I've got a few folks to thank:

• Parents: Way to give me life and keep me alive during my formative years - I can't thank you enough and owe you everything.
• Siblings: Thank you for teaching me to look both ways before crossing the road. Oh, and feeding me. And taking me to the doctor's office. And teaching me to defend myself with my wit, mostly because I'm too small to defend myself with my teeny, kid-sized fists.
• Nieces and Nephews: Thank you for taking the burden of childbearing off of me. As I see more and more of you kiddos come into the world I realized that I really don't need to pass on my DNA material -  it's been done. I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to not have the weight of having to "perpetuate the species" on my shoulders. I can fly!
• Friends: Thank you for being my sounding board because stress is a big killer! And thank you for making life just a little more fun all the time.

Thirty is a big milestone, especially on this blog, because I started with the premise of having 30 major'ish things to do before I turned 30. My list has evolved (read: changed) a bit since I was 26 years old. Priorities shift after so much living, but a lot of the essence remains the same: to live a big life - simply - and to never stop learning.

It's just funny to even have this bit of retrospective because - AND PARDON MY FRENCH! - to quote a friend in a recent conversation, I really had my head up my own ass in my early twenties. But that's part of the growing process, isn't it? Making stupid bold claims that you're so cocksure about and then slowly... growing, changing, and learning. And realizing what an idiot you were to make those claims in the first place. But that's all part of the process!

At my core, I'm still the same person I have always been, but I'm also very much honing in on the person I want to be. And I guess that's why I make lists. I make them so I can focus my thought and energy and guide myself in the right direction. So, here it is, my Year 30 list:

1. Find a way to give more (time and/or money) to the community, and do it on a regular basis.
2. Get better at documenting my life, privately and/or publicly. I find it's easier to share publicly, so I hope this means I will update this blog regularly.
3. Work on my craft. Finesse it. Hone in on it. Make it smooth like butter. No, better than butter. Yep, better than butter!
4. Be more open about my thoughts and feelings. GET IN AN ARGUMENT EVERY NOW AND THEN.
5. Learn something new, like maybe attend Toastmasters or a language course regularly. I learn better when I do things on a regular, regimented basis.
6. Lessen the personal belongings. This is a work-in-progress thing.

That's all for now.

Hooray for 30!