I saw this online and decided to check my score. The author doesn’t specifically say when to do all of these things – Is it just between the ages of twenty to thirty? Or can it be any time before thirty? For example, I learnt a new instrument in grade six but for this purpose, I am going to exclusively try and recall my twenties… the decade when I graduated university, moved back to Halifax, had a ton of different jobs and lived in eight different places (including 6 apartments/ 1 condo/ 1 house {with 6 different roommates}) moved back to Montreal, bought a condo, got engaged, got married, got a dog, moved back to Halifax, bought a house and had a kid. It may seem like a lot but does it included the 20 experiences listed below?

20 Experiences You Should Have Before You Turn 30

1. Try a new sport: I started running when I was ~22. My best friend was training for a marathon and I started running as a form of solidarity. I completed two full marathons before 30. This is me at the end of the Philadelphia Marathon – I look so happy.
   

2. Do something that scares you: Lets skip having a kid, getting married, buying a house, leaving the province, leaving another province, quitting a great job, becoming self-employed, etc. and say yes, I skied down a really steep hill in France that I was totally not qualified to be on.
   

3. Travel by yourself: Good one, not really – besides the back and forth between Montreal and Halifax. I wish. Can I now?

4. Take a girls’ getaway: Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and New York City come to mind. This is my sister and I on a boat tour in New York – we went with my mom and stayed it Brooklyn. It was awesome.
   

5. Move to a new city: I moved from Montreal to Halifax and although I am from the suburbs of Halifax, I had never lived in the city. Then I moved back to Montreal and although I lived there during University, the East End was a whole different world. This is the back patio of our Montreal condo – I loved this neighbourhood.
   

6. Learn to play an instrument: Nope. I tend to avoid musical instruments. I sit in silence.

7. Go off the beaten track: Literally or figuratively? I started trail running…
   

8. Polish up on your wine knowledge: I graduated from $4 bottles to $9-12 bottles. Yes.
   

9. Raid your mom’s closet: No, but I did raid my dad’s closet during my high school years. My So Called Life was a great show but it was a bad influence on my fashion sense… Oversized plaid and corduroy.

10. Get to know your family history: I know enough to not need to know more. This is the original five – taken back when I was in my late twenties when my parents moved out to the country and we use the tractor solely for awesome photo ops.
    

11. Find your cause and throw a fundraiser: Nah, I was too self-absorbed. During my latter years of University I was involved with a lot of class-time protesting. My professor took us to Quebec city for riots and marches… In all honestly, I hardly knew the cause and it exhausted me for the rest of the decade.

12. Work for someone you admire: I became self-employed … So … yes, obviously.

13. Spend time with children: I had a child at age 29.
    

14. Learn to gamble: I hate gambling. I learnt that about me.

15. Start a collection: As a current non-hoarder, I admit I’ve had many collections (books, an awesome VHS collection, letters, magazines, race t-shirts, etc.). I still have most of this but I am learning to let go.

16. Challenge your culinary skills: I’m still somewhat challenged at cooking, but I did try and still do. I also worked at Paderno in my twenties and took advantage of my employee discount. I may not be a great cook, but my kitchen supplies look damn good. This is me making Kraft Dinner in Montreal, age 27.
    

17. Visit a new American city: My sister moved to the States and I was lucky to visit her and see New York City, Philadelphia and Boston during my twenties.
    

18. Test your language skills: I enrolled in evening French classes in Montreal and adopted a french dog. I even watched a few quebec television series… I deserve bonus points for that!

19. Travel to a far-off place: Mike and I travelled to England, France, Switzerland, South Korea, Vietnam and Hong Kong during our twenties. This is us visiting my sister in South Korea – she was an excellent tour guide.
    

20. Have your portrait taken: I think wedding portraits count. Am I right?
    

I am happy to be done with my twenties but looking back, they were pretty okay. This list is making me wonder what I should tackle before forty. Any suggestions?

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