2025 52 Card Project: Week 17: Year of Adventure

[pegkerr]

I celebrated a Very Significant Birthday this past weekend.

My last Very Significant Birthday took place during the height of the Covid epidemic, and I spent it alone, which sucked. I did a lot of thinking about how I wanted this birthday to be different.

This will be a significant year in several ways: I will be welcoming my first grandchild in June and will probably retire sometime within the next year.

I had a great example from my own parents on how to live a fulfilling life in retirement and beyond. My mom played her cello up until the age of 95. When my dad was in his 80s, he raised $45,000 with Rotary and used the money to go to the Dominican Republic and install biosand water filters to give people clean drinking water.

They showed me how important it is to have strong relationships as you age, to keep reaching out to people. And they showed me how important it is to keep learning, stretching, and trying new things.

With this in mind, I issued a challenge to my family, friends, and some acquaintances I would like to know better. I sent this message out in an email to about sixty people, and posted it on Facebook, and I am posting it here, too.

Let's have an adventure together sometime this year.

I am inviting you to think of something we can do, maybe that you already enjoy and think I might like to try that we can do together. Or maybe you would like to try it together for the first time with me. What can you come up with? Have you always wanted to take blacksmithing lessons? Do you want to spend an afternoon teaching me to play the banjo? Salsa dancing? Go rock climbing or make the apricot-torte that your great aunt learned how to make in Austria?

Possible questions:

Do you mean just me or is it okay to do something with me and my partner? Sure, include your partner, or better yet other friends, too. (Maybe I didn't have your partner's email address) Let's make it a party. Part of the point of this is that I want to make new friends.

But I don't live in the same city as you / I'm not going out because of health reasons. Use your imagination! Perhaps we can travel to a mutual point? Perhaps we could take a cooking class together on Zoom?

Peg, this is weird. I don't feel comfortable with this. Well, yes, it is little weird and frankly, I feel nervous about sending this challenge out, but I'm trying to stretch myself a bit! Maybe you might enjoy doing this, too? But if you are really not interested, no hard feelings or shame and I won't be offended if I don't hear back from you on this. But on the other hand, I am excited to see what ideas people might have.

Sorry, I'm busy this month. I'm looking forward to spreading adventures out over the coming year.

We're just passing acquaintances. Why are you asking me? Because I'd like to come to know you better and I think it might be fun to spend time with you.

What's the budget? Who pays for whatever I come up with? My budget is limited, but as I said, I am willing to stretch myself. I want to have a wonderful year. Let's talk.

You're like, old. Would you be up for what I have in mind? Are you up for doing a class of pole dancing/circus silks? I am in reasonable health and try to keep fit. I have a little arthritis in one hand, but that's about it.

What sorts of things do you do already? I like to read and study languages. I do digital collage. I like theater and concerts. I like most kinds of foods. I tend to find something I like and keep doing them over and over again. Help me get out of my rut! Will consider your proposal, but I reserve to right to reject ideas I consider too dangerous. I am not going to learn how to ride a motorcycle standing on my head.

The response to this message so far has been great. I've been invited to go turkey hunting, tour the state capitol, do a volunteer stint planting trees, learn how to make pysanky eggs, spend an afternoon at a farm baling hay, do tabletop D&D gaming, learn how to cook an Indian dish, go out dancing, and more. Other plans are also in the works. If you're interested in joining the challenge, too, drop me a comment.

Image description: Background: inflated balloons in various colors. Center: Peg, smiling. Lower center: Peg's family, gathered around a table for her birthday luncheon, with a decorated birthday cake. Upper center: a vase full of tulips, with a wooden disk superimposed over it with the words "Oh the places you'll go."

Year of Adventure



Click on the links to see the 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021 52 Card Project galleries.

Comments

[lydamorehouse]

As I told you when I accepted this challenge, I REALLY love the idea of this. I hope you get tons and tons of excellent responses! It all looks fun so far!

[princessofgeeks]

I love the idea of a year of adventure! Hear, hear!

[ndrosen]

Good for you. I celebrated a somewhat significant birthday a few months ago (now that I’m sixty, I’m not sure that I can continue thinking of myself as basically a teenager), but I’m still busy with paid employment, which I expect to continue for at least a couple of years more.

[maribou]

What a fabulous idea. I'm not expecting to be in your city this year, but if things shift and I end up visiting, I will remember to get in touch and suggest something!

[pegkerr]

I would love to hear from you if that happens!

[pru]

that sounds like so much fun, to be honest. happy birthday to you.

[tamaranth]

what a splendid idea! May I borrow it?
And happy birthday! You're looking (and sounding) great!

[pegkerr]

Of course! I got the idea from someone else myself.