Life in Numbers

Originally written April 2023, I stumbled upon this yesterday (a year later) and was delightfully stunned at how beautifully life is unfolding. How sweet it is to read the year-old desires of my heart and see them happening before my eyes.

Inspiration. Connection. Boredom-buster. Questionable news source. Social media has served many roles in my life. Today it is the place I hold myself accountable by making a someday-fantasy public, which is (for me) the first step in making it happen.

730. That’s how many days are in two years. Or, the number of days in my 50th year, if you consider it starts from the day I turn 49 and continues to the day before I turn 51.

2. The number of times I’ve traveled somewhere just so I could walk there.

1800. The number of miles I averaged walking per year March 2020 - May 2022.

114. (Slight exaggeration.) The number of miles I’ve walked or hiked in the last 10 months since starting my commuting life and most.sedentary.job.ever.

0. Number of times I’ve been to South America. Also number of blog posts I’ve written since starting my new job.

7970. The height of Machu Picchu.

1. Goal-driven lady, leader, mom, and desk-jockey who needs an adventure.

Today I turn not-30 and next year I turn not-60. Somewhere between now and the year after that, sometime during my self-declared 50th year, I need to do a few things: marry off my son. Hitch up with a fella myself. Send our girl to medical school. Celebrate our guys’ graduation. See our favorite Englishman. Possibly hold a first grandbaby. Go to Cardinals Opening Day. Visit the Grand Canyon. And, I need to climb a big dang rock, set a goal, plan an adventure, reclaim my love for sunshine and fresh air, talk to people in another language, and do something that other people are (and I am) not quite sure I can do.

So come along with me, random people presented this by the algorithm, and train, prep, read, wonder, and plan a trip into ancient Incan culture. Brush off your Spanish (Spanglish) and take a walk. It’s my birthday, and I’m taking a journey away from data-driven decision making, strategy, deliverables, and team leadership, and instead charting a journey to a new corner of myself. Before I turn 51, I’m gonna hop on a plane, fly to Peru, visit ancient Incan culture, and climb Machu Picchu.

Dust off your walking shoes. Grab some hiking poles. We have an adventure to prepare. Happy you’re-not-50-yet-and-you-have-lots-of-life-to-live-so-lace-up-your-shoes-and-do-it to me! 😉🎉⛰️✈️✅💪🏽🏃🏻‍♀️