40 before 40: A change of direction or the direction to change? Take 2.

Change: it happens. Sometimes catching us unaware, sometimes under our full, conscious control and decision to make things better. It has now been around 2 years since I first began my blog, 2 whole years in which I have ticked off 17 and a half of the 40 challenges/experiences I am aiming to complete before 8th November 2019.

Things have changed, things have moved on - time, people, opportunities and things I regard as important or not so now.  Work has sadly remained the same, a constant incessant focus on pupils as numbers, as targets and our role in churning out the best data to make the school look good. A very sad state of affairs, mirrored in not just Secondary education across the country, but also in Primaries with pupils denied the joy of play and learning for enjoyment with the focus on SATS. My attitude towards having a balance in life has, however, changed.  Maybe it is the increased pressure within education to make teachers work miracles and the increased accountability for pupil results or maybe it is just the fact that I am getting older and realise that now I am a mature adult with a house over my head and in a financially stable position that I should prioritise things which make me happy.  But the outcome is that I shall be working (slightly) part time next year in order to regain control over my spare time and not spend ever waking hour focused on tasks to do with work. I would like to find a hobby, one that this extra day a fortnight can be spent on. Maybe photography, maybe art, maybe even some additional volunteering for those less fortunate than myself. With this shift in mind, I feel it also necessary to evaluate my goals and change them if necessary. No one said that the things I chose to complete by my 40th birthday were set in stone! So, amendments are below:

Before I am 40 I want to...

1. Go in a hot air balloon
2. Get two more tattoos - After getting my second tattoo (first additional one), I actually think I am happy with the two that I have. Both are discrete, will not annoy me when older, are personal and have meaning to me, plus part of me is now wondering if I got a third whether I would be getting one just for the sake of it! So I think I'll stick with two! 
3. Go husky sledding
4. Snowboard down a blue run without falling!
5. Try microdermabrasion  - to see if it is as good as others say!
6. Go down the slide at the Orbit in the Olympic Park.  Originally I wanted to go busking and make enough money for a meal - but actually how much would this stress me out, rather than add value to my life?
7. Wild camp and watch the sunrise
8. Visit Jerusalem as it is one place that features so prominently in my religion.
9. Go rally driving
10. Do the three peaks challenge
11. Camp at a festival
12. Zip wire in Snowdonia
13. See the Northern Lights
14. Stand under a waterfall
15. Feed a penguin - Or monkey or any other cute animal for that matter!
16. Do a triathlon
17. Give blood - something I always mean to do but have never got round to it.
18. Try mushrooms ;)
19. Camp in a tipi
20. Go up the shard.
21. Sit in a hot tub, looking out at snowy mountains whilst drinking cocktails!
22. Go to Vegas
23. Create a piece of artwork that I am proud to have on display in my house
24. Visit a psychic - a definite skeptic, I just want to see what happens!
25. Go zorbing
26. Write a blog
27. Eat at Dans le Noir - a massive challenge for me, the World's fussiest eater.
28. Fly first/business class - even better if I get an upgrade!
29. Visit Venice
30. Buy a DSLR camera and learn how to use it
31. Learn to knit - and actually produce something useful!
32. Go punting
33. Drive a jet ski
34. Cycle in the Velodrome at the Olympic Park
35. See baby turtles on a golden sand beach
36. See a film at the rooftop cinema
37. Visit the Great Wall of China
38. Visit Auschwitz
39. Run another marathon. Gatecrashing an extravagant wedding - great fun and great idea but so few and far between!
40. Have visited 40 countries by the time I’m 40 - currently on 36, 37, 38, 39 I believe, so achievable in 5 years!

And one additional one that is not a 'fun' one, but a necessity!

41.  To not smoke another cigarette from summer 2014 onwards -  especially when out drinking or stressed at work. 5 years smoke-free is certainly achievable if I stick at it from now :)

Now, number 41 has already been broken. Too many rums whilst watching the Rugby World Cup in October 15 and a train that was repeatedly delayed led to my downfall, however 4 years are still very much achievable!