50 things to do at 50 - or not.

I'm turning 50 soon and, inspired by my great pal, Emma who did 30 new things at 30, I decided to do 50 new things at 50.

This is obvioulsy a stupid idea but it seemed worth persuing if only to remind myself of what I've done or what I've not got around to. So, I googled for a few minutes and came up with the following list from the Huffington Post. the original list is here. I've put my responses in red after each idea.

1. Karaoke. No.
2. Go on a road trip with friends. Lovely idea but I’m turning 50, not 20 and I have children. Maybe I should go on a road trip with them. No wait, that’s every holiday.
3. Dramatically change your hairstyle or look. Impossible.
4. Learn a new language. OK.
5. Formally learn a style of dance. Probably impossible but OK, I’ll give it a go.
6. Get a tattoo. Not in a million years.
7. Travel to an exotic destination. Can’t afford to and for me ‘exotic’ is usually code for all the things I hate in holidays.
8. Go skinny dipping. No. Would require a complete personality transplant. Or is that the idea?
9. Build something yourself (Ikea assembly, while impressive, doesn't count). At school I made the only three legged table that wobbled. Never going to happen.
10. Help fix an issue that has always bothered you through volunteering. I applaud the idea of volunteering but with two bands, two children and a job, there is no time.
11. Learn about your family history. Done that.
12. Scuba dive. Can’t. Love swimming but get freaked out by having the breathing apparatus in my mouth and I’m mildly claustrophobic.
13. Buy the car you've always wanted -- or at least test drive it. Cars don’t interest me at all.
14. Find an old school friend. Very bad idea.
15. Become something of an expert in something you've always found interesting. Already doing that with poetry and photography.
16. Climb a mountain. Can’t. I have a dodgy knee.
17. Single ladies: Ask someone out on a date. N/A
18. Fellas: Make a brand new friend without your wife or significant other. This suggests I am joined at the hip to my wife and is therefore nonsense.
19. Pull an all-nighter. Who, on turning 50 hasn't already done this? Pah!
20. Splurge on something extravagant. Can’t afford to splurge.
21. Go ziplining. Done it.
22. Join a flash mob. Don’t like being in large groups.
23. Take a job that feels a bit outside your comfort zone. Becuase it's so easy to get a new job. Rubbish! Happy to do that with music though.
24. Have a meal at one of the world's top restaurants. OK. A bit hard on our budget but will start saving now.
25. Conquer one of your biggest fears. I conquer them by avoiding them. See point 22. Although it would be nice to get over my shyness and do street photography.
26. Participate in one of the world's most well-known festivals: Mardi Gras, Oktoberfest, Running of the Bulls and the like. I’ve taken part in May Morning in Oxford and Oktoberfest. Does that count?
27. Tell someone what you REALLY think of them. Do that most of the time anyway.
28. Fly first class. Sigh. See all the answers above that relate to spending large amounts of money.
29. Become a mentor. Done that, doing that.
30. Go skydiving. Done that.
31. Master public speaking. Already done. I love public speaking.
32. Repair something all by yourself. I fixed the dishwasher with gaffer tape recently.
33. Have an honest-to-goodness adventure. Every day with young children is an adventure. If you mean naked white water rafting in the Colorado River… who’s paying?
34. Go on a trip by yourself. Done that hundreds of times.
35. Live abroad -- we're not talking about a week-long vacation. Done that for years.
36. Get really good at a bar game. What, like drinking? This would mean spending large amounts of time in a bar and is, therefore, not going to happen.
37. Read that classic you've faked having read for years. I haven’t faked reading classics.
38. Have sex or engage in a sex act in an unusual place. This has mostly been covered in the past decades but, OK, if you insist.
39. Throw a party that has people talking for weeks. My house is too small.
40. Go camping. No. No. No. No.
41. Teach someone how to do something you're really good at doing. I’m a teacher. This wouldn’t really count as something new.
42. Get a custom dress or suit. Would love to but can’t afford it. I am getting a new hat made for me though.
43. Gamble (but like our friend Kenny Rogers would say, know when to fold them). Lotto! Sorted.
44. If single, go on a blind date. N/A
45. Own something that makes you feel like a millionaire. That’s a bit vague. My children make me feel like a millionaire but I don’t own them.
46. Travel for a concert. Hello? That’s not a new experience either.
47. Forgive someone for hurting you. They can fuck off.
48. Make an elaborate and wildly impressive meal for guests. Done that and it was a complete waste of time. I’ll take them to a restaurant instead.
49. Cultivate a green thumb. By not washing? Oh, gardening. No.
50. Participate in a movement you believe in. I already do.

So that boils down to: learn a language, learn a formal dance, eat in a top restaurant, get over my shyness (for street photography) and have sex somewhere unusual. That’s my five things to do when I’m 50.

Maybe I should celebrate turning 50 by just admitting I'm a closed down, uptight type who probably doesn't need lots of new ideas for making me happy.

Or, I could go back to Google again...