Before the big 3-0 ...

My birthday was a few days ago now.  Just turned 28.  Only a couple of years left now before the big 3-0.  A friend of mine asked me that night to describe my top five things to do before that momentous occasion.  It was a tough question to hear on Wednesday.  I only survived that day an hour at a time, and thinking ahead even to the weekend was just a bit frightening.  I did want to answer though.  The question deserves some thought, but it also means stepping back into a territory that feels a little dangerous.

I've been discovering a freedom these days in letting go of my plans and just living a day at a time.  I needed to learn again how to just be.  To abandon control.  To close my eyes, let go of the reigns, and finally trust.  How could I hope without first learning to be present in the moment?  But there is a danger in this freedom.  Will it still hold its beauty when my fear perverts letting go as an excuse not to dream?

Earlier that morning, another friend took time out of her day to encourage me in my writing.  In particular, she has challenged me to start writing and sharing more frequently ... even if I feel like I have nothing to say.  So, I figured out a way to kill two birds with one stone, for the time being at least.  For the next week or so I'm going to write about my dreams (at least five of 'em) for the next two years.  It seems too easy to just write up a list.  I don't want this to be another set of goals to be checked off.  Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the substance of things hoped for.  I take this to mean that we are supposed to put flesh to our dreams.  So for my top five, I want to dream big.  I want to imagine new adventures.  If I start to give them flesh now, maybe they'll actually come to life.