I recently read a book by Lou Holtz.  I believe it was his autobiography.  I was inspired.  One point of his book was a story he told about how he created a list of things he wanted to do before he died.  The list was 97 things.  He has accomplished most of them.  Such a list is commonly referred to as a bucket list.

I recently turned 40.  This blog has provided me a means to look back at the last few years of my life, and see the roller coaster that my days have become.  And also I have seen that time passes quickly.  I have had a charmed 40 years thus far, but my pace for excitement has changed.  We are not experiencing life at the same pace we were doing in our 20s, or even in our mid-30s.

It has been a year since my dad was put in the hospital for Miller-Fisher Syndrome.  I remember that life is short.  Walt Disney is quoted as saying,

Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long.  We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things because we’re curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

I have enjoyed 40 years on this floating rock we call Earth.  I have had too many wonderful experiences to recount.  It is time for me to look forward and pick up the pace.  I am now focused forward.  Here is my list for the next 40 years.  My 40 for 40 (in no particular order).

1. Run a marathon
2. Witness Aurora Borealis
3. Visit Mayan ruins
   8/7/2018 – Visited the Mayan ruins of Coba, in Mexico.
4. Celebrate my 50th anniversary with Marcia, and dance with her
5. Walk my 3 girls down the aisle
6. Jump from a plane
7. See a whale in the wild
8. Fly in a helicopter over a volcano in Hawaii
9. Drive the family across the country
10. Zipline through a jungle
    8/7/2018 – Ziplined over a lagoon in the Mayan jungle near Coba
11. Visit Paris, France
12. Visit the Pyramids
13. Visit Yellowstone National Park and watch Old Faithful erupt
14. Be there for each of my children in their darkest hour
15. Take my kids fishing
16. Shoot a gun
17. Hike the Grand Canyon
18. Camp at Acadia National Park
19. Visit all 7 continents
20. Scuba dive
21. Mountain bike with some of my children
22. Enter the White House
23. Travel outside the country with Marcia, just the two of us
    8/4/2018 – Playa del Carmen, Mexico
24. Climb a mountain
25. Sail a boat in open water
26. Ride a motorcycle
27. Babysit my grandkids
28. Witness each of my children achieve something great
29. Make a significant positive change in someone’s life
30. Surprise my wife
31. Take Marcia wine-tasting
32. Vacation at Martha’s Vineyard
33. Play Craps
34. Visit Stonehenge
35. Visit Easter Island
36. Fly on a plane that has a water landing
37. Climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty
38. Visit a castle
39. Make something great
40. Make my wife happy