Not sure that sits well with me. I realize that 30 is the new 20, but I'm still not sure I'm ready to embark on my 30's. Good thing I have a year to adjust to this idea. Thing is, I'm not just entering my 30th year. With age comes layers of life and roles. It's also my 9th year of marriage, my 7th year as a nurse, and my 4th year as a Mom. If I just stripped down my life to just my age, I'm sure I would look at 30 and expect different things of myself. But I'm also responsible to more than myself. I have a home, I have a family.
Time for a list.
What do I want to accomplish before I'm 30? Let's be realistic. I'm also going to have 3 kids by March so anything beyond surviving should be an achievement. So I'll keep these on the down-low.
P.s. This is where I will formally invite God to rearrange my perfectly laid plans below. If there is a better way, a way I cannot see; if there is more to be gained from less of my plans and more of Yours, then I choose that. Mess with me. In fact, turn these plans upside down for the better, for the best. I don't want to settle for living for the less abundant life.
1. Get re-acquainted with physical fitness. For someone who defined myself as athletic for most of my life, these last two years have had me at my lowest point in terms of physical fitness. I used to pride myself on low-weight-gain pregnancies too and this time around I'm gaining at a rapid pace. But it's not the weight that bothers me, it's my lack of stamina, my lack of tone, my lack of overall fitness. It's my lack of priority of physical fitness that really has me bummed. By this time next year I want to find a new fitness passion. I don't remember really liking running, but I need to either re-discover it, or find some other exciting and worthwhile form of physical fitness that can get me in better shape and a better mental health. I'm eager for it in a new and desperate sort of way. This mama needs some muscle mass!
2. Set some new career goals. Shift work is hitting me hard these days, and I've gotten to a bit of a lull in my career. I'm still passionate about nursing and can't imagine having a more dynamic career. I love listening to peoples' life stories, wiping the weight of the world off their brows and washing the feet of those who are bound to their beds. It's the simple acts of nursing that really bend my heart. But I'm looking for new challenges, new learning opportunities, new areas to explore. Emergency nursing? Masters in Nurse Practitioner? Tropical disease nursing courses online? More teaching at BCIT? I kind of just want to have a plan by this time next year. And I hope it includes more education of some kind. Of course, these plans might change with the addition of a third life to my arms...
3. Find a new hobby. I want to be brave and try something that I will most likely not succeed at. Something that I just want to do. I've secretly always wanted to learn how to be a drummer, I'd love to attempt a more achievable sewing project, or maybe take an actual photography class. Or maybe I'll buy a piano and do some new lessons, try my hand at stage-acting again, try a duathlon, or take a cake-decorating class. I want to just try something new for the sake of trying it. I'm sick of saying, "One day..." I just want to try one new thing and see if I can find myself a new hobby. I figure, most of my life I have started extracurricular activities with the aim in mind of mastering them. I didn't stick with anything, even if it was fun, if I was 'failing' at it. What if I simply had to goal to do something I love to do- whether or not I'm any good?
4. Do the things that really matter. More time invested in relationships, more thoughtful and intentional encouraging of others, more serving my family but with a new attitude. I want to remember and remind myself more often of what really matters and do those things without guilt. This culture sells me on the notion that the busy-er the better. The more frantic I look, the more important and valuable what I must be doing. But I need to find joy in the simple things. The things that often matter most.
5. Try living without sugar. At least for awhile. It's been on my diet 'hit list' and I'm determined to try it at some point. In fact, I want to actually spend some time this next year really evaluating my body. What makes me feel best. What foods make me thrive? When do I feel most balanced and healthy? I want to actually study my body and know it better. I've lived too long just humming along and not really paying attention.
6. Be a camp nurse for a week or two this summer (so my family can enjoy family camp) or go on a missions trip with the kids. This one is a bit far-fetched, but we can dream, right?
That's as extensive as I've gotten. The 30 countdown begins...
What were you hoping to achieve before 30?
What were you hoping to achieve before 30?
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