40-Some Things to Do Before My Next Birthday

Inspired by Andrea at Hula Seventy, I created this list for my birthday.

1. Finish my thesis.
2. Breathe.
   
3. Learn to meditate.
4. Take a Qi Gong class.
   
5. Teach the kids to lie around the house.
6. Teach the kids some Yoga.
7. Make a new friend.
   
8. Reconnect with an old friend.
   
9. Read out loud.
10. Read two Shakespeare plays I haven't read.
11. Read two Chekov plays I haven't read.
12. Read a new play every month.
13. Read two of the books on David Sedaris' Recommended Reading List.
    
14. Resume free-writing exercises.
    
15. Start a rewrite of one of my old plays.
16. Start my new screenplay.
17. Organize all my source material for playwriting projects.
18. Write down the master plan for my theater center.
    
19. Take a food writing class at Stanford.
20. Start learning a new language (I'm thinking Italian).
21. Take a contact improv class.
22. Sew some stuff for my kids.
23. Sew some stuff to sell on Etsy.
24. Get my bike tuned up and ready to ride.
25. Get a grill.
26. Invite the neighbors over.
    
27. Experiment with making whole-wheat and/or gluten-free pie crusts.
    
28. Make a fresh peach pie this summer.
29. Take the kids berry-picking.
30. Go to the farmer's market most Saturdays or Sundays.
31. Eat more vegetables.
32. Drink more water.
    
33. Get a massage or two or four or more.
34. Eat a meal at Zuni.
    
35. Plant pumpkins and sunflowers with my kids.
36. Plant bulbs in front of my kitchen window.
    
37. Buy a birthday cake for absolutely no reason. Anyone who wants can make a wish on it.
38. Continue with the clutter-taming.
    
39. Start a play reading salon.
40. Involve the kids in a guerrilla art project.
41. Do some of the Learning to Love You More assignments.
42. Go on a geocaching excursion in our area.
    
43. Take my kids to SFMOMA.
44. Take the kids to Big Sur and rent a cabin for a weekend.
45. Travel some place we've never been.
46. Attend the PICA TBA Festival.
    
47. Celebrate Winter Solstice by having some folks over for dinner.