Kicking off 40

Today marks the day that I've been on the planet for 40 years (or at least outside the womb - I'm not going to get technical).  I can remember as a child celebrating 40 years with my parents and thinking about how old that was.  There were black balloons and the term "over the hill" on everything.  At the time, it didn't make sense to me.  What did they mean by "over the hill".  And now, decades later, I find my joints creaking, my skin wrinkling, the cold biting a bit harder and I understand completely.

A year ago, I turned 39 and decided then that, despite promising not to repeat anything like the "30 goals while 30", I would try to do 40 goals while I'm 40.  However, learning from the 30 goals, I realize I'm not going to accomplish them all so I've left a buffer which would permit me to miss 10% and still knock off 40 for the year.  In keeping with the theme though, as often as possible, I've tried to set the goals around the number 40 and have tried to set them on the pieces of life I want to improve anyway.  So, without further ado, below is the list of goals.  I'll try to update this relatively frequently to see how they progress through the year.

Physical
1. Alpe d Huez
2. Bicycle @ 40 km in under an hour (however it gets done is ok – tailwind, group, etc)
3. 10k in under 40 mins
4. Swim 40 laps (something bigger than a bathtub) at once
5. Cover 4,000 miles in a combination of running and biking
6. 15,000 push-ups (~40 a day)
7. Bicycle to or from work 40 times
8. Run 40k during one week (and to think – I’ve done this in a day before!)
9. 40,000 ft of climbing on bicycle
10. Finish K2C under 40 mins
11. Learn 40 different stretching/yoga exercises and make them a part of life


Mental
12. Complete a Sunday crossword in 40 mins or less
13. Complete an expert soduku in 40 mins or less
14. Read 40 books
15. Listen to 40 podcasts
16. Meet 40 new people and be able to recall his/her name 48 hrs later
17. Meditate for 40 hours
18. Solve the 4x4x4 Rubik Cube without help in under 400 seconds


Relationships
19. 40 hours of date nights
20. Watch 40 movies together with family
21. Go to 40 parks (theme/water parks could be included) with the boys
22. Play 40 different games
23. 40 nights out with Seb/Rob
24. Cook 40 different meals
25. Write 40 Thank you notes to those that have influenced my life
26. Read 40 books/month (~500) to the boys



Environmental
27. Pick up 40 lbs of garbage around town
28. 40 “Navy” showers (total water flow of less than 2 mins)
29. Plant 40 plants
30. Eat less than 40 lbs of meat
31. When shopping, use reusable bags more than 40 times (I don’t shop that much)
32. Harvest 40 lbs of vegetables from my own garden
33. Harvest 40 lbs of fruit from my own garden
34. Hang, not dry 40 loads of laundry


Miscellaneous
35. 40 blog posts
36. Clean the bathrooms 40 times
37. Spend 40 hours cleaning/organizing the basement/garage
38. 40 different donut shops - yeah - this one is for me!
39. 40 hours at Comedyworx performing or practicing
40. Write 40,000 words of a book or journal entries
41. Do 40 “Little Things” (sunrise, sunset, hike, etc) without a phone
42. Create a life-goal/bucket list with 40+ items on it
43. See 40 sunrises
44. Donate 40 ounces (or more) of blood