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50 Things to Do Before I’m 50

posted Saturday October 27th, 2012


Today I am 46.

When I mentioned last week on Facebook that I was having trouble with my list of 50 things to do before I’m 50 (with thanks for the inspiration to my friend Megan, who came up with the idea for 30 before 30, a much more rationale notion!), I was bombarded with suggestions:

Zipline, skydive, bungee jump, learn to surf, drive a race car, snorkel, learn to belly dance/pole dance.

Suddenly, my life was looking pretty fucking great, because the truth is that not only have I never done any of those things, I have never had any desire at all to do them. And I’m not starting now.

Im fact. just knowing that I don’t have to any of these things makes me giddy. You made my day, friends. But please, by all means, jump out of that plane. Let me know how it goes.

One friend had the lovely suggestion that I volunteer to build a House for Humanity, but after I smashed a glass door just trying to move a table in my own home yesterday, I think my public service will be avoiding such opportunities. But I do have some volunteering-related items on the list.

No, I will not be trying sushi or anything else unusual (including garbanzo bean chocolate cookie dip) but I did really like my dear friend Deborah’s suggestion: “Kill a man. And get away with it.”

Too bad I was already up to 50 items when she mentioned it.

I’m not going to share my entire list (even for me, there’s such a thing as TMI) but here are a few items on it:

1. Keep blogging, at least once a week.
2. Jog a 5K.
6. Seriously consider getting a tattoo, but ultimately decide not to.
7. Buy new bath towels.
9. Organize my jewelry.
11. Seriously consider going to a high school/college/grad school reunion.
13. Buy sharp knives.
14. Organize my iTunes.
16. Go to Paris with my mother.
17. Write down (in one place) all the (really good) family recipes I can find.
18. Go to Seoul.
19. Renew my passport.
20. Go to Montreal.
21. Go to Vancouver.
22. Figure out a way to keep from losing the lids on Tupperware.
23. Wear sunglasses on a regular basis.
24. Buy a belt (and wear it).
25. Go to Mexico City.
26. Pitch a piece to the NYT magazine “Lives” column.
27. Play bingo.
28. Get a signature fragrance.
29. See Paul McCartney live in concert.
30. Make matzoh from scratch.
32. For once, do my taxes before April 15.
33. Drive cross country.
35. Throw out every pen in the house that doesn’t work.
36. Find a regular volunteer gig at Annabelle’s school.
37. Get a parttime gig teaching journalism.
38. Find the oral history tapes I did with Grandpa before he died.
39. See more live music.
40. Make a plate wall in my house.
41. Stop dyeing my hair.
42. Consider joining a temple.
44. Go to Vegas with Ray, stay at the Cosmopolitan, see a show.
45. Find a marketable skill other than journalism. (Just in case.)
46. Get a standard poodle and name it Opal. Or Ruby.
47. Go to San Francisco.
49. See old friends more often.
50. Live in the moment.

I better get going now. Got to get busy.

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Tags: Filed under: culture by Amysilverman

13 Responses to “50 Things to Do Before I’m 50”

  1. Just curious, what’s the reasoning behind number 18?

  2. Happy birthday :)

  3. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Amy. Happy birthday to you.

  4. fiona: i cut out an article in a magazine by one of my favorite writers, lynn yeager (sp), about a year ago and have been obsessed ever since.

    lisa: thank you! miss you!

  5. I am borrowing #11 and # 17, You absolutely need to do #26. Glad your birthday was fantastic! Now it’s my turn to turn 46….Love you!

  6. ha! #6 is always on my list. and #2, too.

    Happy Birthday!

  7. You do not dye your hair. I don’t, either. :)

  8. Love your list! I went to Europe with my mom as a bday gift for my 50th–best trip ever!! now thinking to adding some of these items to what I will do before I turn 51. I love #26 ,and #23 is important (I’ve had 2 eye cancer scares since living here) don’t think too much about #6, #’s 33 and 42 are overrated, but #50 is the best! xo

  9. Oh, I love this so much! It really says a lot about you. And matzoh! Get to that! I’m gonna need my soup fix when I finally get forced to come to town and have to avoid my ILs. That, and rum cake.

  10. bah bah ha, laurie. you’re right. i don’t.

  11. chrystal: come to phoenix. i’ll keep you anonymous and i’ll feed you matzoh ball soup. (and matzoh if it works.) and we can try to replicate cathy’s rum cake….

  12. #11: Yours or someone else’s? (I had way more fun at Alan’s but I may have had too much to drink.)

    #41: If you do, don’t get your eyes threaded by the mean Russian women who does mine. She tells me shame on me for my choice in silver highlights.

    #42: I could suggest one….

  13. Hi Amy,
    We have lots of mutual virtual friends so I decided to stop by! I love this blog!
    We recently adopted a Standard Poodle because I, too, have always wanted one. He’s 5. He’s a rescue dog. Very skittish. Probably had a terrible life up til now.
    The first night we had him he lied down on the floor next to my side of the bed and didn’t make a single sound. We decided to name him Andy Dufresne, which will only make sense to you if you’ve seen “The Shawshank Redemption”. Anyway, sorry for the rant, but I am glad to meet you!
    Beth

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