On the eve of turning 30...

So, I turn 30 tomorrow.

And of course, since the whole point of my list, and my blog, was to accomplish all this stuff before I turned 30, naturally I have been receiving some inquiries about the status of my progress. I'm so grateful for these questions -- it means you guys actually cared about this! -- so I apologize that my answer has typically been short and not super explanatory.

The truth: I haven't finished my list. Not by a lot. 

The reality: when I came up with the list, it was motivated in large part by a feeling of "holy crap, where am I going to be and what am I going to be doing with my life next year at this time". I wanted some aim, things that were tangible, when a lot else was up in the air. I knew I was ambitious with my list, but I was also optimistic. Not bad things to be, I guess.

But at some point along the road I also learned I needed to be realistic. I spent 3 (blissful, amazing, wonderful) summer months not working, not in school, just traveling around, spending time with fantastic friends, watching a lot of The Price Is Right, sleeping in, and enjoying my free time while it lasted. It was a great, great summer, and I was able to do a lot of the things on my list.

And then I got a job, and I moved to Chicago, and several months without any income caught up to me when I realized hey...you need money to go to Las Vegas, and to ride in a hot air balloon, and to buy artwork, and so on. So, being realistic with my funds, and my free time, I came to terms with the fact that I simply wasn't going to be able to do some of these things. Not before October 12th, at least.

Of course there are other things on the list that don't require as much money, or even as much time, that I haven't done yet. I don't want to sound like I'm making a bunch of excuses so I'm just going to say this: I'll do them. 

But for now I've decided to be kind to myself, to give myself a break, and to stop being disappointed that I didn't finish everything and instead, be SO SO SOSOSOSOSO happy about all the amazing things I did do: heck, I went to Paris! I graduated from a master's program! I performed a frickin' marriage ceremony!  I took not just one, but many amazing day trips around Michigan. I tried new things, learned new things, spent time with some amazing people, and had a hell of a good time along the way.

I've said that I wanted to put together a list for every year now, not just have this be a special, one-time-only-when-you-turn-30 thing. I'm going to do just that. 

Except this time around, I'll remember what I've learned: be flexible; be realistic; know your limits, and when you can push yourself, and when you shouldn't; and most importantly, be happy with what you have done, not displeased with what you haven't.

So I'll update my list with some new goals soon -- a lot of them will most likely revolve around doing some things around my new city that I haven't been able to do yet -- and continue blogging when I can. Thanks for sharing in the journey (wow, I can't believe I actually just used that word outside of making fun of what people on "The Bachelor" say) with me, and here's to another year!