Three Decades of Life

The hippies used to say that "you can't trust anyone over 30". By this revelation, I'm no longer to be trusted. Recently, I have been contemplating turning the big 3-0. Growing up, 3-0 seemed a long ways away and now, the arbitrary number is right at my doorstep. Hopefully I was an adult in my twenties but now I feel like I really have to be a full on grown up with the oncoming third decade. Maybe all of this doesn't matter. A birthday is just another year and just one more number.

At any rate, I've been thinking about life goals that I have. Here are 30 of them. A lot of them involve traveling and hiking. Feel free to give me other good ideas or great experiences that you have had. Here is to another year of God's goodness and faithfulness.

1) Visit all 50 States (I have not been to: Alaska, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine). If anyone can think of a solid reason to visit North Dakota, I'm all ears.

2) Stand on the Great Wall of China

3) Attempt surfing

4) Read the fictional literary greats (I'm currently researching lists and trying to compile ones that I should read. Anyone have any other suggestions?)

5) Hike down into the Grand Canyon/ and separately, taking a rafting trip down the Colorado River

6) Tour Greece and Israel

7) Attend a Radiohead show for the first time

8) Hike up to Machu Picchu

9) Be involved in some kind of massive, peaceful protest

10) Watch all of the 100 movies on the American Film Institutes 100 best movies lists (there are actually two lists...one in 1998 and one in 2007 which was updated. I've seen 46 of these movies so far.

11) Visit the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt

12) Relax on a beach in Thailand (I hear they have the best beaches in the world).

13) Film an original movie with some friends

14) Visit Tokyo, Japan and Mt. Fuji (which is mostly inspired by the two years of Japanese I took in high school. Don't remember much though)

15) Hike the Kukui Trail in Kauai, Hawaii

16) Read through "Institutes of Christian Religion" by John Calvin (among many other theology classics but this is at the top of the list)

17) Out to sea on a Mediterranean cruise

18) Visit 6 continents (I'm leaving out Antarctica)

19) Ride on a cable car in San Francisco

20) Author a book with a topic probably relating to theology

21) Go to a jazz club in New Orleans and have dinner

22) Read the best biography I can find on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln

23) Go on a snowmobiling trek.

24) Spelunking in New Mexico caves (Carlsbad Caverns)

25) Going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Kidding. The falls would be nice to take in from the shore however. All the topic of New York, I would also like to go to the statue of Liberty.

26) While riding in a limo through a big city, I want to stand up through the sun roof. Bring on the fine!

27) Safari through the outback in Australia

28) As long as they don't get too "friendly", too one day swim with dolphins somewhere.

29) To watch the entire series of "The West Wing". I've actually never seen an episode but hear that the show was really good.

30) In my life, to continually follow Christ and grow in my faith for however many days that I have.

My 30 goals. I share these with you in hopes that some of you will help me accomplish some of these. So, yeah, let's do this.