I’m 30!

When Mr RV received a parcel today for my upcoming ‘big’ birthday, my first thought was how organised he is! Secondly, it occurred to me that I will most likely be at home, in my pajamas with my favourite boys drinking copious amounts of wine and stuffing my face with birthday cake. And I am completely OK with that!

I was doing a bit of online research and I found this this article from Glamour which is a list of 30 things to do before you’re 30 and I thought I would see how many of them I can tick off.

1. Stop worrying about your age. I think it was really only this year I stopped caring. Before, I was always worrying about doing x and y before turning 30.
2. Get educated in something you love doing. Over the years I have learnt to play the piano, to sing, to sew, to ski but I would love to pick up more recent interests like interior design and do some online courses.
3. Face a fear. Does picking up a spider and putting it outside count?
4. Step out of your comfort zone. I mean, I haven’t really stepped anywhere this year, like most of us! Over the past couple of years I have certainly done things I never thought I would have, like living abroad, writing a blog and skiing.
5. Take on a physical challenge. Well, lockdown certainly helped me with this. Back in the spring I managed to run my first 5k and I was even running that distance three times a week in 22 minutes. Now, I just eat mince pies and binge watch The Crown.
6. Go on a blind date. I have never been on a blind date but a Tinder date yes. Look how well that turned out! 💖
7. Experience culture shock. Oh yes! I definitely got a bit of a shock moving to Germany for two years. I embraced the culture whilst living there but honestly, I don’t ever want to see a stein or dirndl again. The quieter way of life is most definitely for me.
8. Begin journaling. I started my blog!
9. Do some self-reflection. There has been plenty of that this year.
10. Overcome heartbreak. Tick.
11. Get your adrenaline pumping. Learning to ski was terrifying and I had a few meltdowns on the side of several mountains.
12. Create something. I certainly don’t use my creative side as much as I used to. I used to write songs all the time and record them. I think something called life just gets in the way sometimes.
13. Fail at something. My first driving test. 👍
14. Break a bad habit. I have cut out plenty of these and feel great for it!
15. Take up an unusual hobby. I can’t say I have done this but I did randomly try rock climbing for a while and enjoyed that.
16. Get a complete makeover. My hair has been black, brown, blonde and back to brown! I have had short hair, a fringe, overplucked eyebrows, slugs for eyebrows. Long gone are the days of drastic changes guys.
17. Fight for something you’re passionate about. I definitely need to be a better human being and act upon this.
18. Live overseas. Living in Munich was such an incredible experience. I met amazing people and have some great memories.
19. Read a life-changing book. I have to admit, I am not a reader. This is one of my New Year’s Resolutions. Any good book recommendations are welcome!
20. Slum it. Again, I haven’t really done this. I have never stayed in a hostel or been camping. Something else I need to add to the bucket list.
21. Do something for charity. Like I said in number 17, I definitely need to be conscious and make time for this. I would love to raise money for a charity – something I will look into.
22. See your favourite band or singer play live. I have certainly seen some of my favourites live!
23. Travel alone. I have never done this and I know a lot of people have but it just never happened. I have travelled to some amazing places but just not on my own.
24. Unplug for a weekend. Definitely some of the best weekends have been without social media and technology.
25. Begin practicing self-love. Over the past couple of years, I have realised who I am and what I want and how happy I am. I perhaps don’t make enough time to check in with myself as regularly as I should as I am very much a ‘keep going no matter what’ kinda gal.
26. Make amends with anyone you hold a grudge against. I don’t really hold grudges. I just say it as it is. But in my youth (how old do I sound!) I have had fallings out with friends and of course made amends. I am also at that stage in my life where I have a handful of close friends and any differences would never result in a grudge being held.
27. Practise gratitude. I did start gratitude journaling and kept it up for several weeks but you just need to complain sometimes! Right?
28. Start saying affirmations. I have heard of people doing this but guys, this just isn’t for me. However, it’s great if it works for you.
29. Develop a morning routine. I have this down to a T! 🙌 I wake up at 5:50am and feed the cat. I then make a coffee and catch up on news, emails and social channels. I’ll do my makeup and hair in less than 15 minutes and then be ready to leave the house by 7am.
30. Write your own list. I think Glamour’s list is pretty comprehensive but here are only a couple of other things I had hoped of doing before turning the big 3 0. Some of them like owning a house, loving my job and having our first pet I am very grateful for.

Get on the property ladder, travel to America, visit Norway, climb Mount Snowdon, own a pet, have a good career, run 10k…

With only a month to go before I predictably turn 30 in some sort of lockdown, I guess travelling to America and Norway will just have to wait that little bit longer. I will definitely be ticking off climbing Mount Snowdon and running 10k in 2021.

Rebecca x