Mother Musing <> 40 after 40

I’m shocked, is it possible? Really, really possible that I’m already 40?! Most days I don’t believe it. There are days, however that I feel EVERY BIT as old as 40 and then some.

I found this article awhile ago… 40 things every woman should do before she turns 40. In fact, this whole post got put on hold for about a year and a half around the time my father’s health finally began to fail because of the damn cancer, radiation, and chemo. I’ve only -in the last few months- gotten back into a place that I feel like writing again and that includes finishing this post which has been in draft mode all this time. So here goes my list of 40 things to do AFTER turning 40 since clearly I can’t do them BEFORE turning 40. Although I don’t agree with everything on The Frisky list, it is still a good idea to do most of the listed items for the pure sake of experience.

Well, without further ado:

Go somewhere in Canada ~even if its only Vancouver British Columbia, it’s still Canada!
Learn how to speak Chinese ~sooner rather than later
Go to South America ~I think Brazil, specifically
Finish writing the book I’ve been writing for the last *ahem* 2 yrs *ahem*
Go to Japan
Drive a car over 100 mph ~I’ve come close but never quite reached 100, don’t want to get that ticket!
Go to Greece
Try my hand at painting
Go on a Cruise ~even if it has to be a Disney cruise
Visit All 50 States ~so far I’ve been to 13 of them
Take a picture at the White House ~inside the Oval Office would be ideal but beggers can’t be choosers
Sing Karaoke – which ought to be EXTREMELY hysterical & painful for those listening
Go to the top of the St. Louis Arch
Go down to Bourbon Street in New Orleans or ~really~ any place in New Orleans
Take a ride in a hot air balloon
Go sky diving ~I can’t believe I’m saying this!! OK maybe I’ll do that indoor air flying thing instead
Go snowmobiling
Go to the top of Seattle Space Needle
Travel by train
Travel by motorcycle
Go to the rain forest
Go to Niagara Falls ~maybe make the trip into a 2nd honeymoon! For the cheezy factor.
Ride on an elephant
In India
Go to Russia
Swim with dolphins
Go to the Olympics ~preferrably the Summer Olympics
Walk on the Great Wall of China
Swim in the Mediterranean
Go to Mexico
Visit Amsterdam
Relearn to speak French ~yeah, relearn. What you don’t use, you lose
Relearn to speak German ~ditto!
Stay in a real log cabin in Yosemite or Yellowstone or some such place
VENICE!! I want to go to Venice
Try surfing again ~whenever we make it back to Maui
Act in a play
Stay at an Inn somewhere in Vermont
Go to Ireland
Finish my ancestry chart!