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40 before 40: A List

Kimberly Kalil

40 I'll be celebrating my 40th birthday in less than a year. Eleven months and six days to be exact. I go back an fourth between feeling anxiety and excitement. I never, ever thought

I'd actually be 40. When I was a kid, 40 seemed SO old. Now I'm almost there and I feel a mixture of "I'm really old" and "I'm not old at all." Does that make sense? My body is really the part that's feeling old. I have arthritis and that makes for lots of aches and pains. But in my mind, I don't feel 40. Having relatively young kids helps. Having a full and bust life helps.

Anyway. I decided since 40 is a pretty significant birthday, I'd make a list of 40 Before 40: 40 things to do before my 40th birthday.

  1. Read 50 books
  2. Walk/Run 400 miles
  3. Take my family on a fun/exotic trip
  4. Complete a photography project
  5. Take an in-person spanish class
  6. Take an in-person painting class
  7. Buy something at a thrift shop and refurbish it for our home
  8. Take Shelby on a girls only trip
  9. Drag Mike to a ballet/musical
  10. Sew a dress/skirt from scratch
  11. Make a quilt
  12. Draw 100 faces
  13. Get a new tattoo designed by KB
  14. Take my family horseback riding
  15. Camp at Yellowstone
  16. Volunteer at Pregnancy or Literacy Center
  17. Start my book
  18. Add some fun art pieces to our home decor by local artists
  19. Take up yoga or pilates…and stick to it
  20. Bury a time capsule…and dig it up when Cooper graduates high school.
  21. Take dancing lessons
  22. Complete an embroidery project
  23. Throw a party
  24. Watch the sunrise on the beach
  25. Go on a fun road trip
  26. Be debt free (minus our house)
  27. Plant a garden
  28. Lose 10 pounds and keep it off all year
  29. Write letters to the five people who have impacted me the most in my life
  30. Make French Macarons
  31. Take a cooking class
  32. Write to someone I admire, and ask how they’ve achieved their goals
  33. Plan and execute a “girls” trip
  34. Walk on the Golden Gate Bridge
  35. Stay in a non-chain hotel
  36. Take a tour of the White House
  37. Run a Disney Half Marathon
  38. Paint a series of paintings
  39. Do a gallery show
  40. Sit in the audience of a live TV show

Personally, I love having a list of things to do. I make lists all the time, so it feels natural to make a life list like this. I need a goal. I don't do well when I don't have a plan, so this should give me a good kick in the pants.

I'll check in the next 11 months and let you know how I'm doing.