Nidhis.daily.blog

Tag: bucket list

  • 40 before 40 – Part III

    May the ‘fourth’ be with you! Said the wise Yoda to his fellow Jedis. This one’s dedicated to a friend who is nerves as she nears turning forty. Is she overthinking – yes, no. It’s equally graceful to be anxious about future as it is to be a calm cucumber – to each her own. So continuing from before what every woman should aim to get under her belt before turning 40!

    Start experimenting : Hair style, lip color, eye shades, everything makeup and fashion. Afterall YOLO so why stick to safe choices, rather try fun variants every now & then.

    Date nights : Married, committed or single – dating should be mandatory for all. Dress up, leaving behind your routine worries and do something new together. It could be a movie, hobby class or plain vanilla dinner. Idea is to spend time with your partner to keep the romantic fire alive!

    Pen it down : That book, blog, docu, vlog whatever has been pending since ages. Time to bring it out of the blueprint and put out in flesh. Make a loosely structured workplan and aim to wrap it up before your next birthday.

    Weeds amongst the bush

    Learn about your roots : Whenever you interact with your elders, dwell deeper about your culture. It could be collecting simple hacks about recipes, common ailments, family tree or festivities. Helps make your own rituals culturally rich and more meaningful.

    Know your favs : Whether it’s outfits or food or hobbies or people. Bear your favourites in mind and guard your boundaries using them. Start choosing yourself and embrace the joy it brings.

    Look inwards : Connect with your self energy. Whether by means of yoga, meditation, journaling or gardening. A hobby that helps you connect body mind and helps you become your own best friend.

    Perfect your pitch : Yet keep it tailored for the audience. How you connect to your partner should be different from how you interact with younglings at work or home. Start interacting with each person uniquely to build deeper, meaningful connections.

    Finnese a skill : That bucket list of ‘I want to learn xyz’ which has been at the backburner. Bring it to spotlight and commit too it. Start with babysteps and take expert help to fine tune your swimming/driving/cooking/sketching.

    Stay sharp : Be mindful in your choice of words. Position and present yourself per the person on the other side. It’s not a crime to keep quiet but it’s a charm to know what to sell how and where.

    Reconnect : That long lost friend, the colleague who got busy, the ex-lover who you lost touch with. Give everyone a chance to be part of your life – some may stay, some may wander – their loss!

  • 40 before 40 – Part I

    The furious fourties – a decade where you are neither young nor old. More like a sandwich situation. The recount of my sisterhood who have hit this milestone of aging range from liberating to imprisoning. Seems the fourth decade around the sun is infact a double-edged sword. Forewarned is forearmed, so here is a time bucket list of accomplishments that every woman should aim to get under her belt before turning 40!

    Solo travel. From something as exotic as a mountain sojourn to something as reasonable as a stay-cation in the home city – being on your own hits differently. You are unattached from the various roles you play, rediscovering yourself as an individual. The quiet, the solitude, the unknown, the discoveries – you can own them all. Bonus – it does wonder for your self confidence.

    Meditate. While levitating seems out of the world but meditating can help channelise your blocked energies and find a vent out. A peaceful one where you can let go of your thoughts and train your mind for strength. So start practising a few minutes of quiet everyday, allow mindfulness to engulf you.

    Day out with the maiden family. Plan some block of time with your parents and siblings, just like old times. Bond over memories forgotten, rummage through childhood treasures or just spend time at leisure with each other cosying up over nostalgic food and wine. Bonus it’s a huge dopamine dose without burning hole in the pocket.

    Give back to society. Start finding means to volunteer your time and efforts. Chose a cause close to your heart – beach clean up, teaching underprivileged kids or caring for silver citizens. Deploy your skills at a not-for-profit organization and make the world around you a better place. One day at a time.

    Join a sports group. Pick up your favourite sport – indoor or outdoor and start bonding with like minded folks over it. Give yourself another social channel to mingle at and since it’s a game the cognitive and physiological benefits are yours to reap anyways.

    Find your poison

    Girls only itinerary. Invest in thrills and frills with your girl gang. Spend time with your sisterhood exploring diverse interests from wine-tasting to knitting to glamping. Splurge, spend or save – choice is yours. Idea is to cosy up with your favourite women and leave your worries behind.

    Try a new hobby. You think you can’t paint – then pick up a brush and learn. You think reading is too boring then join a bookclub. Or you find baking cumbersome, look for a baking guru whose sessions can inspire your inner pattiserrie. Giving a diverse, completely untried activity a hand unlocks new neural circuits in your brain. You never know it could even unleash a hidden Picasso or a nimble Nigella within you.

    Adrenaline adventure. Before you are labelled too old (or your knees give away) catch the thrills of jumping, gliding, crawling! Go on all fours or riding an ATV. Find a junkie sport and give it a shot. Afterall you won’t be this young forever so why wait.

    Teach something formally. Ofcourse you got skills, you got knowledge and you are armed with information then why withhold it. Pass it on to others formally, it could be handwriting, making pickes, a long forgotten art of embroidery or just public speaking. There are takers for everything in today’s world. This experience of putting yourself out there and imparting your skill is both liberating and learning at the same time.

    Downtime with your child before they turn a tween/teen. Perfect time to catch them ripe as the child is neither a dependent kid neither a superbly detached self-proclaimed teen sensation. Re-discover a theme park, join a night sky watching group or just go camping in the woods. Go painting at the beach or just run a movie marathon night. Create memories to last them a lifetime!