I'm how old? Well, shit!

In less than a year, I turn 60. How is that fucking possible? Where did the years go? How can I make the remaining years count? What would that look like? Where is my phone and purse? For some reason, I thought when I got this old, I'd have my shit together. What a crock of crap. I have nothing together. The next few months are going to require great discipline on my part to not lose my shit, panic, and then go off the rails! I'll need to focus on the things that matter, my dreams, which are:

1. Time: Retire as soon as possible but still be able to travel and enjoy adventures, only work to fuel my dreams

2. Love and Peace: Love my family and friends and spend meaningful time with them. Remember to prioritize me, look for the beauty in my world, feel my feelings, embrace vulnerability, give back

3. Adventure: Explore the world, grab adventure with both hands, be brave

Funnily enough, money only matters because it will buy me time and adventure. I don't need those cool gadgets, cute purses, or shoes (okay, that was hard to type); I don't even need a fancy house or car. Everything I buy needs to feed my dreams. I recently spent a weekend in Illinois, which did cost me a little bit of money. But, I spent time with a dear friend while she hawked her wares at a craft show. That was in service to spending time with the people who mean a lot to me. I finally met her husband and kids (after 15+ years), and we had time to reconnect—money well spent. Same with my trip to Little Rock in June. A table full of my college girlfriends, a sparkly (and lighted) cowboy hat, and a gorgeous wedding. Seeing the mother of the bride (and the bride) glowing was amazing. Worth every penny!

I also discovered how adorable the towns along the Fox River are. Is it just me, or do other people want to move almost everywhere they visit? I plop into the hotel room at night and jump on Zillow. I want to live in Geneva within walking distance of their downtown. After thirty minutes on Zillow, I remember the dreams above. How would Geneva be in service of my long-term dreams? Well, shit, I guess it's not. I'm glad I stopped that little spiral because this friend is building a house in Hawaii over the coming year or so. She'll need a friend to stay with/near her for a week or so while construction is in progress. Now, that is in service of my goals.

Spending Thanksgiving in NYC is also time and money well spent. I plan to take some of Mom's ashes and sprinkle them, so I'm bringing her with me. I'm freaked out about digging into a box of my mom's ashes, so I've purchased little "ash/urn" necklaces, and my therapist has offered to fill them for me. Wow, find yourself a mental health professional who will truly get their hands dirty for you. I think I'll ask him to fill out all 16 at once, and then I'll be prepped for my next few trips. And for the record, he offered!

Before I Turn 60

In the spirit of adventure and growth, I am going to set some "mini-goals" to hit before I turn 60 next November. So many of my friends have leadership and HR backgrounds, so please be aware that I've included some "stretch" goals! Here they are:

1. Visit all 50 states in the US—I've been to 38, so hopefully I can hit 12 in a year. Several are close together, but here's the complete list: ND, SD, ID, WY, MT, CT, DE, RI, WV, MS, WI, and PA

2. Add three more countries to my paltry little list of 9 - I've been to Canada, Mexico, Barbados, Jamaica, Italy, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and England. Can I count The Vatican?

3. Ski again - but I have to find an enclosed chairlift due to my extreme fear of heights

4. See the Grand Canyon and Mt Rushmore

5. Obtain at least one excellent certification for work - probably an AI cert and Tech Writing.

6. Hire out one person through Blue Moon Consulting (stretch goal, for sure!)

7. Get ONE advertiser for my blog (stretch goal - this might require too much effort, but I'm writing it down anyway)

8. Clear out my life - sell some purses, furniture, jewelry, shoes, treadmill

9. Rewire some outlets to add USB connections

10. Tile a floor - do we think I can do this? I have quite a bit of travertine from my old house, so I'd need to break up the old tile, lay that down, and grout it. Would a backsplash be easier? It needs to be inexpensive as this isn't my permanent home! I'm already regretting this goal (stretch goal)

11. Update the 1/2 bath upstairs. Remove the pedestal sink and replace it with a sink with a cabinet. Again, do we think I can do this? (stretch goal)

12. Say "yes" to something that really scares me

See, I told you I'd go off the rails. You'd think I'm going to die right when I turn 60. I do think I need to live more "immediately." I mean, who knows, right? Does anyone want to join me or add a challenge to the list?