The Forty Fest: The List

Tomorrow will be my fortieth birthday.

I've learned from the last 39 years (or at least the ones I can remember) that December birthdays are difficult to celebrate. Too close to Christmas, the celebrant and their friends tend to be tired, busy, skint, preoccupied with shopping, family, exams and staying warm to really want to celebrate.

(It occurs to me right now that perhaps all my friends for the last 39 years just haven't wanted to celebrate with me... I hope that's just pre-fortieth insecurity. Not that my birthdays haven't been great, but they've taken a fair bit of work and organising.)

So, for my fortieth birthday, I decided to stretch out the celebrations with a mini-birthday every month, seeing a different friend or group of friends and having a celebration on the 14th of each month.

But 40 is a more fitting number than 12, and so my list of forty things was born. I've spent a few months thinking about what I'd like to do for my birthday, and who I'd like to celebrate with. My list is as follows, in no particular order.

1. spend a day smiling at everyone I see
2. learn to meditate
3. run a spring marathon
4. go dancing in a nightclub
5. spend a night under canvas
6. join the marathon maniac club
7. skinny dip with friends
8. get my engagement ring re-made
9. try a burlesque workshop
10. have a McGonnagal Supper
11. Learn to play chess with Scott (my son)
12. Knit a scarf
13. Run a sub-4-hour marathon
14. raise £4000 for Parkinsons UK
15. have a full medical
16. become a mistress of the chin-up
17. get my teeth whitened
18. go on a bus tour with my Mum
19. dance a duet with my best friend Hannah
20. go to a fitness professionals convention
21. try poledance
22. hoop a 5K
23. paint a fairy door
24. host a fundraising hafla (or three)
25. finally visit the Scottish Parliament
26. one month fitness challenge - get more sleep
27. write My Running Story
28. integrate yoga into my life
29. have a beautiful mirrored studio to work in
30. be able to do handstands, or walk on my hands
31. learn 10 things about myself
32. run 40 miles in my birthday week
33. duet at karaoke with my lovely husband
34. have tea in Edinburgh City Chambers
35. get on All Request Friday on Radio 2
36. meet 40 new people 
37. make a difference in Malawi
38. fitness challenge - 40 full push-ups continuous
39. not let my roots get out of control 
40. get a daily make-up regime

Some of these are volunteered by my friends and family, some represent where I thought I'd be when I got to be 40, and some are whimsical and frivolous. Some will be more challenging than others. There's nothing there I really don't want to do, because let's face it, it won't get done.

This blog will be my record of doing these forty things. Thanks for stopping by to hear about my journey - I hope you'll come back and see my progress!