Past The Half Time Show

 I woke up in a fog today.  I heard someone at the door around 10:30 and knew someone was delivering something because my kid texted me a warning the night before.  I had actually woken at the crack of dawn but refused to get up.  I checked my phone, looked at messages and went right back to sleep - something I don't often do.  But when that happens, I am in intense dreamland and groggy upon waking, which is where I was today.  I didn't even notice Andrew wasn't next to me.  I was being careful not to wake him.  I stumbled out to the living room and heard someone in the kitchen.  The only thing I could think of was "how did Mikaela get this person a key and why is he in my kitchen?"  I was definitely surprised and relieved to find it was Andrew.  I hate that kind of morning.

Then I got to thinking about the day.  I'm 55 today.  I have lived more than half my life.  It's kind of a sad thought.  I thought about the people who will remember me one day.  Some will look back fondly at the memory of me.  Others will say good riddance.  There's not a ton of in-between.  It is what it is.

I've done a lot.  I raised two good kids.  I was a good daughter (and, I'll add, a good daughter in law).  I had a shit ton of fun in the beginning of my career.  I've gotten to meet people and see things and make a lot of memories.  All of that is good.  And I have things to look forward to.  I'm going to be married soon.  One day I'll actually get to retire because of the job I hold now.  I look forward to seeing what my kids do with their lives.  And I look forward to visiting as many beaches as I can.

It's an interesting feeling to know that time is ticking and I've passed the halfway point (which, granted, I did a while ago because who wants to live to be 100?  Probably not me.).  I feel like I should be making goals for the remainder of my life.  What's really important for me to see?  Prague and Puerto Rico are on that list (and entirely attainable, I know).  Croatia and a return trip to Krakow and Budapest would be nice.  I'd like to go to Russia to see what my mom liked so much (and it really helps that I'm marrying a fluent Russian speaker!).  The pandemic has changed things in my world.  I miss people and I miss seeing things.  I want more of that.  I want to find a good treasure, be it a large shark tooth, a fun gem or a cool surprise found with my metal detector.  I want to have fun.

When I turned 50, my brother had a really good idea of doing 50 fun things in the year as a celebration.  Well, my mom was sick and needed a lot of attention that year so it didn't happen.  So now I'm upping the challenge:  55 fun things in a year.

So, who's in?  Who wants to join in the fun?