Today a countdown began.

I don't typically put much stock in age or birthdays. Many years back, I recall a coworker freaking out because she was turning 25... a whole quarter of a century! Silliness. That being said, the big four-oh is something of a milestone, and seems like an opportunity not to bemoan the passage of time but to regroup, contemplate, and clear some space for what's to come.

I got the idea from Britt Bravo's blog, Have Fun Do Good. Last year she wrote about creating a daily practice for the 40 days leading up to her 40th birthday and it seemed like an interesting thing to try. I particularly liked her idea about letter-writing. Who sits down and actually hand-writes letters anymore?

I was also inspired by the Holstee Manifesto, which I recently purchased as a poster. Its simplicity is brilliant and profound.

And finally, I've been reminded a lot lately of one of my favorite quotes:

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
-- Albert Einstein

So, in an effort to shake things up a little bit, maybe restore some of my recently-depleted mojo, and slide headfirst into 40 with as much zest as I can muster, I've decided to spend the next 40 days on the following practices:

* Connecting. I don't know about one letter a day like Britt, but I am going to take this opportunity to write, with an actual pen, on actual paper, some notes of appreciation. What a fun way to connect, and in a more in-depth way than the typical text message or Facebook "like."

* Clearing. This is the big one. I feel compelled to clear away space, mentally and physically, for new projects and new possibilities. Clearing away distractions.... So many ways to clear out clutter.... There's the digital version, a la Chris Brogan's "Great Unfollow Experiment". There's more concrete activity, such as clearing out closets or stacks of unread magazines. (Marks shifts nervously in the other room. Don't worry, I'm not going to toss out any of your stuff without your permission!) There's also a more abstract idea of clearing out bad habits that hang heavily like stale cigarette smoke. Hm. I'm not sure what shape this will take, but I feel there's great potential here.

* Nourishment. Massage. Yoga. Drinking more water! There are a number of ways to nourish the physical self. Play. Creativity. Meditation. And then there are ways to nourish the spirit. I already do most of this stuff, but not usually with sustained focus.

Quite by chance, smack in the middle of this will be Meet, Plan, Go! on October 18. It's an inspiring event anyway, but I'm wondering if the confluence of timing will yield a little extra somethin-somethin this year. Hm.

OK, enough navel-gazing! Thanks for indulging me, faithful readers. I may check in from time to time on this little experiment, but probably not. ;) We now return you to your regularly-scheduled blog topics of mostly-travel with a dash of gardening-cooking-wining. I also have a few more fun guest posts lined up in the coming weeks, so don't change that channel!

RELATED LINKS:
* Britt Bravo: Have Fun, Do Good
* The Holstee Manifesto
* Chris Brogan's Great Unfollow Experiment
* Come join us at Meet, Plan, Go!
* Vote for me in Tripping's contest (ok, totally not related, but there's just a few more days left, so I had to get one more plug in there!)

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