35 and Thriving
You may have noticed (or not) but it was my birthday last week, my 35th birthday in fact. It’s one of those numbers that gets you thinking, you are no longer young, but not middle-aged either. It also feels like you should have a good portion of your life figured out and be on a stable path. Had you asked me at 18 what my life would look like at 35 I would have told you I was married, with two young kids, a house and two dogs. (I know, not very imaginative but let's face it, when you grow up in the suburbs you expect life to look a certain way, for better or worse.) Well, that picture actually looks very different - no kids (I much prefer being an Auntie as it turns out), no husband (and not looking for one, thank you very much), no house (apartment living has a lot of advantages) and no dogs (but there are two cats, including one that acts like a dog). As for having things figured out, I am a long way from that. I am finally working in a field that I enjoy and that hasn’t made me want to run screaming, but I am still trying to figure out if it is financially viable, I have no idea where I am going to be in two years (but stay tuned for that journey because it is bound to be entertaining), and in simplest terms I am still working on what I want to be when I grow up. But if the last two years have shown us anything it’s that stability isn’t all that stable, and being able to adapt to new circumstances, to try new things, is the key to thriving.
All of this is to say that I have decided to fully embrace being 35 and thriving by trying 35 new activities and documenting them in a quilt during the course of the year (and with luck I will have it finished and quilted before I am 36!). As part of this I have been asking family and friends for suggestions on new activities that I can try, as well as looking for some of my own. The list I have started building up with everyone’s help has been fairly wide ranging:
Ziplining
Parasailing
See the Northern Lights
Learn to make French Macarons
Archery
Ice Skating
Cross-Country skiing
Enter a quilt in a quilt show
Go for a hot air balloon ride
Read The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (finally!)
Teach a virtual quilting class
Attend a concert
Spend the night in a castle
Give blood
Rev Rail Ride, NY or NJ
Take a scenic bike trail
See Niagra Falls
Afternoon tea at the Palm Court at the Plaza
Submit a fabric collection idea
Go kayaking
Spend New Year’s Eve somewhere extraordinary
The list has been started and I have some great ideas but I need more, so I am asking for your help. What activities have you done that you were afraid of but turned out loving? What places have you been that you think everyone should visit? Is there a book that changed your life that you consider a must read? Looking for all different kinds of activities, some that would be great solo activities and others that would be perfect for doing with friends.
This year of my life is going to be all about trying new things, and hopefully thriving during that process. And I intend to document all of it in a quilt. Same as the list of new activities is fairly loose, the quilt design will be fairly loose too; each activity will have an individual representational block but they may be any size and made using any method. I love the idea of documenting this whole year in a quilt and being able to have these memories to hold onto and literally wrap myself up in. This whole project was inspired by Kitty Wilkins (@nightquilter) 40 Peaks Quilt, which I found an inspiring approach to turning 40. While climbing mountains is never going to be for me I thought trying all sorts of new activities would be the perfect match for 35. I hope you will join me as I share updates and quilt blocks from this journey and maybe will be inspired to try some new things yourself! If you are, please share - I would love to see what everyone else has been inspired to try as they reach a new birthday.
That’s all for now, I have to get moving with this #quiltyourlife project and make some reservations (since life can’t always be left to the last minute!)
Until next time, Siobhan
