The beginning

Welcome to the beginning! 

The beginning of my 40 by 40 adventure...

The beginning of this blog... 

The beginning of a whole heck of a lot of fun!

I celebrated my 37th birthday recently. Which means my 40th birthday is only three years away. It dawned on me that the years are flying by and I want to maximize my time. The idea of living and not just making a living is always on my mind. I enjoy life, I believe in living a life filled with joy and laughter. However, I also know how easy it is to get caught up in the responsibilities of life and forget about the fun, the joy, the adventures... My 40 by 40 adventure is my way to chisel out time for building the life I want to be living. 

Here is my full list of 40 things to do before I turn 40. Some of them are places to visit, things to do and silly things that I know will make me laugh.  Others are a bit more serious — growing my family and my career. Most of all each of these things were added to my list because I knew they would add value to my life and help fulfill my mission of living with joy and laughter. 

My mom died when she was only 57 years old. When you have a parent die young a strange thing happens where you are unable to view your own life past the age they were when they died. I have never seen my mom experience retirement, watch her children marry, be a grandparent, etc. I don't know what any of that will look like for me. While I hope I live past the age of 57 I know with certainty none of us are guaranteed another day. Each day may be our last. 

When my mom died I was amazed at all the living she did in only 57 years. While she didn't see us marry or meet her grandchildren she did a lot of really cool things. She lived a full life with joy and laughter. Whether I die at 42, 57, 76 or 110 I want people to be able to say the same about me. The 40 by 40 is a way I can focus on living life each and every day! 

I'm sharing this adventure on a blog as a way to document it for myself. If you all want to read along that is awesome but this is really about holding myself accountable and leaving a record of what I've learned along the way. Who knows maybe someday my own grandchildren will look back and read all this and think to themselves, "my grandma was one kick ass lady"! 

Buckle up folks! It's time for an adventure!

Jessie