Since the FINAL 10 ITEMS are in this entry, I will save the reflection on finally reaching my milestone birthday for another entry. So here we go. The "40 Before 40" list, as completed on 14 March 2022.
11. do the polar plunge, Georgia style
I ended up doing this one in South Carolina instead of my own state. My daughter and I went for a 24-hour excursion to Charleston, but I was in need of a recommendation for the perfect spot where I would jump into the icy waters of the Atlantic in February. To which maritime location was I guided by a fellow lover of the great outdoors? Botany Bay on Edisto Island.
A remote location that protects both the wildlife and local history of the lowcountry, Botany Bay quickly became a place I knew I would come back to visit again for a longer visit. The walk out to the beach reminded me so much of the boardwalk trails across the saltwater marshes of Cumberland Island. But it was the skeletal remains of many a sunbleached tree and abandoned shell that captivated our hearts under the grey skies of that afternoon. We climbed over the fallen trees and dug our fingers through the sand and shells in the surf.
And after a couple of hours of play on this beach, I decided it was time. I ran straight into the frigid Atlantic. The water was shallow for quite the distance from the shore, so I had to literally sit in the water to dunk myself up to my shoulders. My daughter found it hilarious.
In having to change into dry clothes post-dunk, I ended up having an experience I hadn't thought about until I was in the moment: being topless on a public beach. I quickly swapped my wet top for a dry one amongst the occlusive plant growth of the dunes. I won't lie though. Those few seconds of being boobs out in the wide open were just as liberating as the electric shock from the cold waters of my plunge.
8. have a former student teach me something
A former student of mine named Kevin reached out via Instagram this last year. I had attended his high school graduation back in 2018. Two years later, the pandemic would interrupt his college and work life, causing him undue stress. He would tell me in our exchange of messages that when life got tough, he started thinking about all the people who had influenced him through his formative years. And he said that my name kept coming up. Y'all know that this sort of sentiment is enough to bring about tears. We set up a time to chat virtually. He talked about his family, his girlfriend, and his hopes for getting back into school.
I told him about the item on my list where I wanted a former student to teach me something. He was stoked. But then he started to stress because he seemed to be thinking it had to be something huge, like how to play a song on guitar. So I asked him if he would teach me a saying from his family's home country of Venezuela. And that is what he did.
"Mas vale pájaro en mano que cientos volando."
Kevin told me it means that it's better to have a bird in your hand than hundreds flying around you. We talked about how it made us realize in our current lives how to hold onto the things that are making us happy instead of trading it in for something that isn't realistic or is only a temporary fulfillment.
Isn't that so beautiful?
13. attend or host a proper tea party
My daughter and I went small potatoes for this one since I was running out of time before my birthday. We pulled out the goldenrod British teapot a student bought for me last year, as well as the vintage teacups and saucers we purchased at an antique store before the pandemic. She chose green tea with jasmine to fill our cups, and we nibbled on nuts and chocolates while we talked about life at our coffee table.
22. create a piece of art
So my daughter has an oil paint kit she got for Christmas. She's the age where we're throwing all the creative tools at her to see what she takes to. I figured I'd head over to YouTube and Bob Ross it for the evening with her tubes of paint and see what happened.
I must have paused the tutorial about 96 different times because I found myself yelling, "You're going too fast, Bob!" And I didn't have the experience beyond my childhood Crayola watercolor kit to know which shade would be an acceptable substitute for Indian Red when it was time to add a deeper warmth to the sunset.
Anyway. Here's what I painted with as much experience with oils as I do with changing the oil in my car. Which is zero. My daughter is proud of it, so that's all I really care about.
23. try a pole dance workout
This was another one that needed subbing out because of running out of time. My daughter's idea for substitution? Her teaching me a couple of skateboard tricks. We went out in the driveway on the last night of me being 39. She roller skated around me while I tried to follow her commands with my feet on her skateboard. There was only one time the board went out from under me, and I definitely wiped her out in the process. Nonetheless, fun was had, and I now know how to turn a skateboard while it's in (slow) motion.
25. visit one of the Hindu temples in Georgia
I have two good friends who are from India, one by way of Chicago. Across the years, they have taught me about their food, culture, and religion. The chance to visit India with either (or both) of them as my guide has yet to come to fruition because we're scattered across the map with our busy lives. So I figured I could have a tiny taste of India by visiting one of the temples built here in Georgia.
I drove out to BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Lilburn on a Sunday. It was a lot to take in. The detail in the sculptured Turkish marble both inside and out was mind-blowing, especially when you learn most of the work to construct this temple was done voluntarily. I was momentarily embarrassed when asked to cover my shoulders because I had shown up in a sleeveless shirt. But a man standing near the entrance of the temple gave me a large piece of cotton fabric to wrap around my shoulders.
26. teach a virtual yoga class
I did this one with my best friend, Christy, since she lives down in Florida now. We grabbed candles and a glass of wine each before I led her through a flow. It was mostly us being goofy, talking about the show she got me addicted to (Outlander) and how my dating life is going. But it felt like something we might need to do regularly to stay connected since we're now a few hundred miles from each other.
27. share a beer with a former teacher
There were no beers for this meet-up. Instead, there were 20-ounce sodas in a pizza shop with the promise of a future clinking of glasses when the schedule allowed for it. It was while I was walking the ground of the Hindu temple that I reached out to my high school German teacher, Frau Mallett, asking if she happened to be free in the moment. She cancelled her afternoon plans so we could chat in person. We both ended up being grateful for the time we spent together talking shop and learning about each other's lives outside of education. Thank goodness for social media so that we were able to stay connected after I graduated in 2000. Frau is one of my heros in this line of work after whom I try to model my own educational practices.
36. sing a rap song at karaoke night
Substitution: sing a Disney song at karaoke
I'll wait for the laughter to die down.
Yes, I realize these are polar opposites in the karaoke world. And I even spent my time on the long drive to see my best friend in Florida training myself for "Gin and Juice" for our night out with mics in front of strangers.
Buuuuuuuut...we had our night out at a Disney resort. And once upon a time, I played the role of Ariel in a chorus production.
So I had to do it, guys. I sang "Part of Your World" for an audience for the second time in my life. It was just 30 years after the first performance.
1. donate blood
This was the very first item I tried to cross off a year ago. It is something I have wanted to do since I learned what blood donation was. I was seeing someone when I made my list, an on-again, off-again sort of situation since we met at a delicate time in his life. He was dead set on being the one to help me with this item because when we met, he had just freed himself from an extreme religious group that forbade its members from giving or receiving blood. And one of the first things he wanted to do in leaving the group was become a regular blood donor. He set me up with the Red Cross app, made us an appointment, and we showed up ready to donate together.
Except my heart rate was too high, his iron was too low, and they turned us away. He scheduled us another appointment 2 months later. This time, his iron was good. But for me, my heart rate would not calm the hell down. So we walked out with only his donation given.
Then a few months later, the man broke my heart.
I avoided making another Red Cross appointment until the last minute, knowing my heart would race and I'd be turned away yet again. I put myself on their calendar, walked in alone, and was led through the preliminary tests. This time, my heart rate was extremely calm, and I was led to the chair with the good armrests. The man who took my donation was kind and talked to me through the entire process, which took less than 6 minutes from start to finish.
So I did it, and I did it by myself.
Bonus items:
53. Go to Disney...again!
My best friend took me to Epcot for the Arts Festival. So we basically ate and drank our weight that day. Roasted bone marrow? Kalua pork tacos? Grapefruit margarita with a salt rim? Yes to all of it and more.
54. See Lake Street Dive perform
And add a bonus to this bonus: I got to see them at the Georgia Theatre! If you haven't listened to this band before, you should. They have a very cool, modern-day funk/retro sound, and they put on a fantastic show. This was my birthday present to myself, and I have no regrets.
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