50 Things - Week 1

2022 is the year I will turn 50.

It’s strange, because from the outside, it looks like I’ve lived an incredible, privileged life, full of so many experiences --so much education-- and surrounded by so many amazing people. And inundated with so. much. stuff.

And yet, as is the norm, from the inside looking out, it feels like a life not yet quite lived. A life where “too much” doesn’t just apply to my personality, but to everything about me. Too much stuff. Too much obligation. Too much weight. Too much debt. Too much to do. Too many sleepless nights.

This year, I will turn 50. Even in the best possible Betty White scenario, my life is half over. 

So what do I want the next 50 years to look like? And when will I start making that happen? What are the things that I realistically can do --or not do-- to live the life that feels truly lived, and not just survived?

50 Things to Do Before I’m 50

1. Move intentionally for 50 minutes each day. Walk? Run? Dance (like a formerly Baptist white girl)? Channel my inner Jillian Michaels? Shaun T? Billy Blanks? Jeff Galloway? Adriene Mishler? What does that 50 minutes look like and how in the hell do I make it happen? Stay tuned…

2. Get rid of 50 items of clothing. Don’t pretend that I’ll have time to sell it. I won’t. I really should just delete Mercari and Poshmark. Maybe I’ll do the hanger thing. Maybe I’ll Marie Kondo the closet. (we all know I probably won’t do that.) Maybe I’ll just get rid of stuff that isn’t comfortable. I can do that.

3. Break the “Shopping High” addiction. Do. Not. Buy. Clothes (or shoes) in 2022. Do Not. (Except for bras and running shoes. But I will not buy impulsively. I will not buy online. I will not.)

4. Drink 50 oz of pure water each day. Not coffee. Not tea. Not Coke Zero. Not Seltzer. Not Vodka. Not water with vodka. Just pure water. Drink it. (And then drink the other things.)

5. Write 50 blog posts. They don’t have to be good. They just have to be. Look, a list! Blog post #1 done.

6. Lose 50 lbs. I know, I know. Weight loss should never be a New Year’s Resolution. But I’m tired of feeling run-down and I know why I feel this way, and I need to value my own health more than I value a drink or some fries or my pride. 

7. Go to bed (on average) 50 minutes earlier S-Th. 50 minutes means more sleep, less alcohol, less mind-numbing. Rest more.

8. Make an extra $50/week through subbing and save it for something special. Maybe take that trip, finally, with the girls. 

9. Make an extra $50/week through freelance and pay down debt. 

10. Do something technology-free for 50 min/day. Meditation? Reading? Going for a walk? Put the phone down and just exist in the world.

Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash

The other 40 things? These are T.B.D. Maybe I’ll document them. Maybe I won’t. But I don’t want to just survive 2022. I want to truly live it. This is the year I will turn 50 and I want to remind myself that I matter.

This is week 1.