Making 2015 Count

Ok I admit it, this year I will be 45 years old. 

Now we have that out in the open, for all of those who do not know me, can I just say 2014 was the worst year of my life. I don’t need or want to go into the detail why, if you truly know me, you know why and if you don’t, you don’t need to know. 2013 was great, I went to Everest Base Camp and climbed over high passes in the Himalayas, but 2014? 

Let’s just leave it at ‘2014 was kak; crapola; pants’.

So I decided that I would actively make 2015 a different year, I would set myself a few goals to do things that would make me happy and help me feel like I had achieved something when it ended.

But then I realised, knowing me as I do (45 years is enough time to understand foibles, strengths and weaknesses) that a 'few things’ would get lost in the midst of the year and before I knew it, I’d end up with another crappy 12 months of milling about with nothing achieved. Time would have drifted past me again and I would have ebbed and flowed through another 365 days.

So I came up with ‘My 45 at 45’ or its official title ‘Making one year count: getting fit and doing stuff’.

If you haven't deduced yet, I have generated a bucket list of 45 things I’m going to do in my 45^th year. 

I have a list with a few gaps for late ideas to join the party. Some are big things, some are small, some I’ll share, some I won’t. Some cost very little and some will be part of a bigger adventure. I've been lucky in life and done a lot of the usual 'things to do before you die' so I had to be creative with my list.

But to show you how diverse my ideas are, I’ll give you a flavour of some what’s to come (mum and dad look away now);

Photo courtesy of Al King

·         Run another marathon 
·         Go rock climbing
·         Walk up Scafell pike
·         Try surfing
·         Visit Stonehenge
·         Ride a motorbike
·         Go horse riding on a beach
·         See the Northern Lights
·         Make an item of clothing
·         Abseil down a building
·         Bungee jump
·         Try skiing
·         Knit something 

·         Go in a hot air balloon
·         Go to an Opera North performance
·         Throw a coin in the Trevvi Fountain

I wasn't really sure when to start the year, January 1^st or actually on my birthday? So I thought I’d make it a truly awesome year...and a bit. Starting on January 1^st 2015 I will complete the 45^th year at midnight on my birthday, March 2016. Cheating? Moi?

My year; my rules.

I’ll be ticking the first one off the list tonight as I’m going to see an Opera North performance of ‘La Vida Breve’ and ‘Gianni Schicchi’ at LeedsGrand Theatre. 

I'll be honest if my favourite aria is sung half as well as this then I'm sure it will be amazing.

Watch this space for my awesome year and help me count them off, one at a time.

@SarahWG

#my45at45