I will be turning 40.
My mum asked me how I felt about that. About the 4-0. I'm absolutely a-ok with it. As I said to her, there is nothing in my youth that makes me regret that it has passed, or makes me feel that getting older is such a bad thing. My life has improved with age. In fact, I'm rather glad of the distancing of youth and all if its woes, insecurities, uncertainties and general shittiness.
I shake my head when people say that being young is the best time of your life. It's not. Not for all of us. Not by a long shot. For some of us, growing older is salvation. For some of us it's not until we are well into adulthood that life really begins and actually becomes enjoyable.
So I'll be glad to be 40. I don't mind the wrinkles. I'm glad to be a grown lady, wearing tiaras on a Sunday, building fairy things in my garden, finding magic and shaping my world into something worthwhile and good.
ANYWAY, I've decided my gift to myself is a challenge for the coming year. I used to read daily and I miss it. I thought that I'd set myself a list of books that every person probably aught to read that I have not. I'm a pretty slow reader (I like to savour every word) so I think a goal of 20 books over the next year would be reasonable. I also thought while I was as it, I might make a list of 20 films that I've shamefully never seen that are considered essential viewing (I've never seen any of the Godfather movies!).
I'll check in once a week or so to let you how it's going, what I'm reading, what I watched.
I'm open to suggestions so please don't be shy about suggesting something that you feel I absolutely MUST read or see. What are some of your favourite books and films of all time that I should be certain to include?
