One third of the way to 100 years

At some point in the last 5 years or so, I decided to live to 100. Now, at age 33, I am precisely one third of the way through my life. I have completed 33.3% of the game. I’m in the final episode of Series 1 and Series 2 is about to start!

Since this realisation struck, I’ve started to review My List: what I have “ticked off” in the first 33 years, and what I would like to do, and see, and accomplish, in my Second Act.

Rather than mourning the end of my youth, I find it comforting and invigorating to think that I have two thirds of my time remaining.

Of course there is no way to know for sure what the liklihood is that I will hit my centenary. But armed with the power of Generation Y — “the baby-boomers’ children will be the most adept ever with emerging technology” — I feel optimistic that the knowledge I’ll need to continue to enhance my own physical and mental health, will be available to me on tap. The collective learning and sharing of wellness strategies through digital platforms will, hopefully, enable me to achieve my goal and enjoy longevity. I intend to feed in some of my learning, as well as drawing knowledge down for my own consumption; to give and not just take from the system.

Whilst we can never fully appreciate what we have until it’s gone, I hope the days of taking my health, and the health of my loved ones, for granted, are behind me.

In my twenties, I think I went a bit Gen-X. According to the Oxford Dictionary, “Generation X are typically perceived to be disaffected and directionless.” I had a Quarter Life Crisis. I smoked, I drank, I got a silly little tattoo. I odd-jobbed. My mood was medicated. These are not things I feel proud of, but I don’t feel bad about them either. I feel they are worth acknowledging as DONE. Level complete. I’ve ticked them off the list.

Now, as I approach the final pages of Book 1 in the trilogy, I don’t feel a crisis coming on. I feel renewed and excited to open the second book. I’m already peeking under the cover and reading the prologue… the game is loading… and so far I like what I see!

To Do List: Age 0–33 (Book One)

Grow; from a child into a woman into a wife into a mother.

Push my body.

Stretch my mind.

Abuse my body.

Waste time.

Fall in love.

Accept my body and be thankful for what it enables me to do.

Grow some babies.

Love and teach my babies more every day.

Consider and appreciate what my parents taught me.

Make some wrong decisions.

Forgive myself for the things I haven’t done and all the time I have wasted.

Forgive other people.

Forgive myself for blaming other people.

Take care of other people.

Take care of my body.

Take care of our planet.

Make some right decisions.

Start to appreciate what I can do with my mind when I focus it in the right direction.

Decide what I want to be when I grow up (I’ve literally JUST done this, just in time. Phew).

To Do List: Age 34–66 (Book Two — work in progress)

Raise children who are happy, healthy and nice to know.

Try to give them more belief in themselves than I had in myself.

Keep working on being a better listener — to others and to my inner voice.

Write every day.

Take responsibility for the environment.

Leave notes on what I have learned for other humans to find.