you should know…

A new nugget will soon be added to the List.

..And it’s a doozy.

Nudity has its perks.

14. Nude Beach-it

I’ll only be 29 once, so I’m going all out- and being literal about it. This year I will dabble in Full On Frontal at a nude beach in Portugal while vacationing.

(Eh-hem… I am, shall we say, a new woman. Freshly Europed… jet-lagged. Details tomorrow. Sleep. Is. A. Must.)

Jazzercise: we have a lot in common

Turns out I’m not the only one gearing up for a milestone birthday this year: Jazzercise is turning 40 and on the brink of a reinvention. Coincidence? No chance.

Jazzercise, founded by Judi Sheppard Missett in 1969, is making a huge comeback. Ok, maybe not high-waisted jeans-huge, but huge, nonetheless.

Although I’ve never tried Jazzercise, my heart of hearts tells me that my beloved “20-Minute Workout” probably wouldn’t have existed without it. And without the 20MWO, I wouldn’t have had my first foray into fitness. Like anything, even greatness has its roots – Madonna had Marilyn; JT had MJ; Juicing had LaLane; and the 20MWO had Jazzercise. (Sidebar: When I was a kid, watching my mom do the “20-minute Workout” to ABBA was like banana popsicles on a hot day in August – pure heaven. I’m still obsessed with the wonder that was Bess Motta’s hair. And banana popsicles.)

Jazzercise turning 40 says a lot about the importance of celebrating milestones and, of course, reinvention: take something that is defined and then give it a new definition. Why? Because you can, damn it. Because you can.

For Jazzercise, reinvention means easing up on the excessive use of “jazz hands”, nixing metallic leotards, and wiping that stupid grin off your face. For a 29-year old turning 30, reinvention is jumping out of a plane, learning to skate again, speaking her mind more, and starting a blog about it. Any way you slice it, reinvention is the stuff greatness is made of.

And so, in the spirit of doing great things, reinvention, birthdays, and jazz hands, I’ve decided that trying Jazzercise is on the List.

In one month, I will be 30 in just one year

Creating my "Before I Turn 29 List" on August 21st, 2008

So here it is. Checking “publish the blog” off my list. Not “The List”, just my list of things to do today.

A friend recently asked me if “The List” was like a “to do” list, like the kind you create on a Tuesday for things to do on a Wednesday, blah, blah, blah. The answer is a definite “no”.

I started creating “The List” a few years ago when I was about 22. It was my birthday.  I can’t quite remember why I started writing out the things I wanted to accomplish before I turned 23, but I did, and it stuck.  Not one year has gone by without making one. It’s been my chance to reinvent myself year after year. I love it.

Now I’m turning 29 and my lists have evolved into somewhat of a self reinvention contract. Whether it’s something simplistic like growing my hair long or more complex like creating a  charity event, it goes on the list, because once it’s on there I know it will get done.

This year will be my BIGGEST list because it’s the last one I will make before I turn 30. For many of my friends ’30’ is a milestone. For me that’s still TBD. But I know it will be a significant year because I’m leaving my twenties behind, embarking on a new decade filled with a new set of social expectations, opportunities, and sagging bits. The truth hurts, but I’m due to shake things up a little anyway. Bring it. Twenty-something is going out with a bang. Now that is on my list.