25 before 25

A few years ago, I was on the cusp of a new era in my life. I was mere weeks away from finishing my time as a student and venturing forth into the working world. It was then that I came across another blogger's 40 before 40 list (ie. 40 things he wanted to accomplish before his 40th birthday). New beginnings are always a good time to take stock of your life, and so I wrote my own version of the list. However, being much younger, I made the list shorter, and gave myself a shorter time frame - enter the 25 before 25 list!

Last Saturday was my 24th birthday. I was going to have a quiet dinner with my family, but they suggested a barbecue at a nearby beach. When we got there, I saw my friends from church also having a barbecue. For a few seconds I was quite upset, because I thought they had forgotten to invite me. But then I saw the banner reading 'Happy Birthday', and realised that it was a party for me. Surprise!

So with the beginning of a new year, and only one year left to complete the 25 before 25 list, I thought it would be a good idea to take stock of how I'm going.

1. Read all of the Bible - This is going okay. Last year I finished all the obscure OT books. This year, I'm doing a read through the Bible in a year plan, just to make sure I haven't missed anything.  
2.  Go to ISME conference in Thessolonika - Done and dusted!
3. Visit France - At the time I was writing the list, my sister and brinlaw (brother-in-law) were planning a long holiday through Europe, and suggested that I visit them in France. That didn't end up happening, and I don't think I'll have time in the next year for another Euro-trip.
4. Finish learning ‘Another Look at Autumn’ - This is a crazy-difficult but beautiful piano piece that I started learning about 5 years ago. I might finally get around to it...
5. Finish Thesis - Done and dusted!
6. Learn guitar - I have a few chords in my repertoire. I don't think I'll ever be a brilliant guitarist, but I managed to convince a group of 6-year-olds that I was good enough to audition for X-factor!
7. Walk a leg of the Bibblemun track - Hasn't happened yet, but I've done a lot of other walk trails near where I live.
8. Take up horn again - Done! I've started playing in a local concert band.
9. Finish all the Plants vs Zombies challenges and gain the golden sunflower trophy - A couple of levels are too hard. I haven't given up completely, but I won't be too upset if this doesn't happen.
10. Shave for a cure (probably colour!) - This one seemed like a good idea at the time, but again, won't be too upset if it doesn't happen.
11. Do a paid singing gig - At the time, I had just turned down a gig because I had a prior commitment. Still a bit grumpy about it! Now that I've moved away from the city, I don't think the offer will come up again.
12. Keep my house clean so that it is a pleasant place to relax and to socialise – This is in progress. I am not the tidiest person in the world, but I like being hospitable. These two facets of my personality often clash!
13. Act in another musical - This year, the local theatre company is producing The Phantom of the Opera. I'm definitely going to audition.
14. Finish 50 books on the BBC reading list - Almost done. I'm partway into book 49 (Dune by Frank Herbert)
15. Learn to sew - Mum taught me to sew in high school, but I had since forgotten. I'm getting back into it.
16. Attend church more regularly  - At the time I wrote this list, I was at a bit of a low point in my walk with Jesus. Since moving to my new town, I've been a regular attendee at a local church. This has been very encouraging.
17. Get Christmas shopping finished 1 week before Christmas - yet another vain attempt to become more organised. We'll see how next year goes...
18. Go to an AFL game - I'm an Australian, yet I've never been to an AFL game. We'll see what this year holds.
19. Do dance lessons - I've done a short Lindy Hop course (the idea was to meet some friends, but everyone else in the class was middle aged plus!), and I've gone to a West Coast Swing open night.
20. Do singing lessons - Check. My line manager gave me a few lessons.
21. Regain Bronze medallion - I really should get a wriggle on with this one - lifesaving qualifications are so useful to have. Plus, more swimming would be great for my overall fitness levels.
22. Compose a piece of choral music from scratch - I've been doing more arranging than composing lately, but again, we'll see what happens.
23. Buy an Ipod - still hasn't happened. There's a little part of me that wants to see how far through life I can get without owning one.
24. Go to Mandurah - At the time, I didn't think I would leave the city for a substantial period. Mandurah is a nearby town that would have been fun for a day trip with friends. This one may not happen, but I won't mind.
25. Initiate social interactions at least fortnightly - Remember when I wrote this list, I was about to leave uni, so random hangouts between classes were becoming a thing of the past. I don't think I've stuck to the at least fortnightly part of the clause, particularly during the school term, but I am getting better at initiating time with friends.

From going through this list, it's become clear that my life has changed dramatically in the last few years. Some of the items on the list are no longer relevant. Some of them I just threw in to round out the list to 25. Some of them I still care about, but won't happen in the next 12 months. In that case, I don't see a problem with pushing them onto the 30 before 30 list.

What's on your xx before xx list?