A Personal Bucket List
Different lyrics resonate with each new Hedwig. Last night…
I rose from off of the doctor’s slab
I lost a piece of my heart.
Now everyone gets to take a stab
They cut my up into parts.
I gave a piece to my mother
I gave a piece to my man.
I gave a piece to the rock star
He took the good stuff and ran.
I love, love, love traveling alone. Memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experiences are best shared with a travel partner, but if it’s a usual spot for me, I would just as soon go by myself.
BUT WHY? Aren’t you lonely??
I enjoy the company of myself. I like eavesdropping on other conversations. I love the convenience of being a party of one at a restaurant – I rarely have to wait to get in at even the hippest places. They are happy to fill that one loner bar seat.
I can see shows all weekend and be obligated to no one. I can, as I did today, rush said shows and get the last remaining seat nobody else would want. I can walk when I want and can when I want and act like a stagedoor nerd if the mood strikes. And if it doesn’t? Fuck it, nobody but me cares anyway.
Traveling alone teaches you about yourself as well: the value of silence, the strength you have within, the navigational skills you do (or don’t) have. Be cheap where you want and spend a boatload when you’re feeling crazy. No one is there to weigh you down.
Places I’ve traveled to alone:
And I am just getting started!
I know I shouldn’t, but I’m having a mini panic attack about money. My car lease is about to end and we have a big, gaping hole of debt ahead of us that we need to pay off. I know you’re not supposed to talk publicly about money, but I’m nothing if not brutally honest on this blog, and my readers know I reveal warts and all. And even though we should be living more than comfortably, I’ve been feeling a little out of control of the whole “living within my means” thing lately.
Over the next year, the debt will even out and some major expenses will have been paid off. We’ll be able to put more money away and have a nice little retirement nest egg (something we’ve both been actively working toward – chipping away slowly at that item on the bucket list) securely in check. That’s one thing I’ve never let slide.
For now, I just need to focus on getting through one day at a time, staying well under budget, and stop trying to keep up with whatever Joneses are out there. Because honestly – they’re mostly in my mind.
Places I want to travel before I even consider having kids:
I still need to hit Africa and Australia at some point, but I guess I’ve got a whole life to do that.
Been bouncing these thoughts around in my head and I thought I’d get pen to paper.
Your husband comes home on your sick day to discover you’ve left a full glass of water in the pantry.
I don’t know how, but I somehow manage to become the apple of smarmy sales guys’ eyes. I wonder what that says about me. Maybe that I don’t have enough respect for people? Because frankly, I’ve never cared enough to be intimidated by power.
Que sera.
In any case, my continued lack of concern for respect or decorum hasn’t seemed to slow me down at work so far, which is fortunate. I really feel like I’m helping to make a difference to both the big and small pictures, working to make everything more efficient, help iron out better processes, and implement changes that can only make the company better. I’m loving playing this more operational role while also sharpening my strategy pencil.
This week has been busy and exhausting, but I’m energized and excited to be a part of an amazing company that is poised to do incredible, unprecedented things.
More to come.
My sister is the best. Smart, talented, kind, funny, and beautiful. She is all of the most wonderful parts of me and limited amounts of the bullshit. But I don’t see her all that often, because she lives pretty far away.
One place she’s always wanted to go is Serenbe, an idyllic little community south of Atlanta. So for her 22nd birthday, I took her to this little green farming community for the weekend.
It all started fine: a great farm to table dinner, a play outside under magical twinkling lights, then a breakfast filled with grits and biscuits. But then we found the treehouse.
Cute, right? Well, underneath that little window was a tube slide. Filled with cat shit.
Yes, to confirm your horror, I slid right into a fresh pile of cat shit – while wearing white shorts, no less. #BeechWhites
But fortunately, I brought som extra clothes, so after an awkward stroll back to our room, I was fresh as a daisy again.
We wandered around the local farmers market and found a tree in a sweater:
No telling why.
Then we headed down to Newnan for a cafeteria style lunch and a stroll around the square.
All in all, not a bad trip so far – minus the cat shit. Hopefully it’s an upswing from here.
30 Before 30 
