Update: 30 things

Eight days until my birthday. I don't think I can complete the project in time. A new role at my job and a serious relationship, both of which came into my life unexpectedly, have drastically limited my free time.

Funny, if I were back in grad school or undergrad I think I might have been able to accomplish these things with no problem. But I suppose my age and the baggage that comes with it itself are the impediments to finishing, which I think is interesting.

Let me revisit the list and mark an x next to the things I've done:
1. Start a new blog - x - This one.
2. Go on a hike
3. Submit a proposal to a magazine
4. Learn Spanish
5. Drink an Irish car bomb
6. Plan a 30th birthday party - x - Nothing big, with my family, but at least it's something.
7. Go on vacation to a place I've never been - x - San Francisco
8. Decide on a life philosophy - x - Not finished with this but I've been reading about philosophies.
9. Ride on a roller coaster
10. Volunteer for an ongoing project - x - Baby sitter at my church.
11. Reread Walden - x
12. Reread On the Road - x
13. Buy three new albums by up-and-coming bands
14. Create a Twitter account - x
15. Learn how to make enchiladas
16. Get a massage
17. Enter a 5K - x
18. Go on a diet for a month
19. Make a chocolate souffle
20. Finish reading the Old Testament
21. Go to a concert
22. Visit a farm
23. Watch 10 movies I haven't seen from Roger Ebert's Great Movies list - x - OK, I only watched one!
24. Read five books I wouldn't ordinarily read
25. Subscribe to The New Yorker
26. Start a book club
27. Find a date NOT via an online dating service - x - This actually happened though it didn't work out.
28. Decide on an idea for my book
29. Listen to five albums I don't have on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - x - I've done two: The Beatles' White Album and Joni Mitchell's Blue.
30. Find peace with God - x - Ongoing but I'm doing better with this

Not great but not terrible. Some of these things haven't been accomplished due to finances. Spanish classes, albums, new books, trips to amusement parks and magazine subscriptions can get expensive.

On the other hand, the things I've done on the list have been well worth the time and expense I've put into them. Walden was the perfect book to read at this point in my life. I looked at On the Road with a whole new (and not entirely positive) perspective.

I'm so glad I ran the 5K. That was one of the best things I did in 2011. And my taste in music has been stuck in the '80s pop genre for far too long. It had been so long since I'd listented to a truly great album such as the White Album. And I remember being so jealous of Joni Mitchell listening to "Blue," because how can someone be that talented?

The good thing is that learning doesn't end at 30. There's still time to make enchiladas and ride roller coasters and learn Spanish. There is time, but I find that as my life becomes busier I really have to prioritize the one thing I really, really want to accomplish. It's sad to say but at this point I feel like there is exactly one serious hobby or goal that can fit into my life at any given time. If I am going to read The New Yorker cover to cover I can't also start a book club. If I'm going to learn Spanish then I can't also choose that time to get serious about writing. Unless I want to go totally insane.

But let me also add that I wouldn't call these goals non-essential because I definitely think they are essential to a person. They bring life to your soul. They remind you that there is more to life than work.

So the 30 things list project rolls on as the clock keeps ticking and the digit turns from a nine to a zero. No, it's really not that big of a deal.