Year 60 challenge update

I’m certain everyone is just dying – DYING – to know where I stand on the 30-in-60 Year Challenge. No? Well, you’re getting the update anyway. Let’s start with this:

That’s yours truly trying to do the standard Go Cats Go cheer with the captain of the University of Arizona cheer team (left) and her teammate. 

Then there was hiking Seven Falls, which was fun, challenging, amazing and every other positive adjective you could think of, courtesy of a local firefighter friend and his family. It was a nearly 9-mile hike because we hiked from the visitor center instead of taking the tram to the trailhead. #hikingrockstar Also: #exahusted

The water was freezing. Also phenomenal. It is amazing how much more appreciative one is of natural, running water when “normal” is parched land. Thanks to this guy for getting my husband and I to this great wonder:

I’ve done not one, but two, group painting classes. Far less relaxing than one would think. It is so hard to trust the process. But, with a little help from the teachers, I wound up with two great canvasses. And, by way of recommendation, teachers from Brush and Bottle are way more patient than those with Paint Night. Just sayin’.

So, where else does everything else stand? Here you go. If you can help me with any of it (know someone with a Segway?), please reach out. Accomplished so far:

1. Joined UA cheer line for one cheer. Also was hoisted into the air in a leg stand. Luckily neither of these events happened at an actual game. Rather, I was a trooper and met the team at their 6 a.m. practices. I will never dismiss cheerleading again. #trueathletes
2. Got accepted by local paper as a regular columnist. Currently my column appears on the op-ed page once every three weeks, but I go to twice a month beginning April 14. #success
3. Hiked Seven Falls in Sabino Canyon.
4. Took two group painting classes.
5. Applied to be a Court Appointed Special Advocate. I did do this. I was accepted into training but declined to continue due to time constraints. This will be my retirement project.
6. Serve on a local board. Everything written above re: #5 applies to this.

The next thing scheduled is a:

7. Professional photo in the desert. This is going to be my book jacket cover for when my novel is published and happens on April 13 courtesy of a former colleague and a great photographer. This is my attempt to #actasif in regard to finding an agent and getting published.
8. Going to a dude ranch for a week. This happens in July.

I’ve made requests for the following, but have had zero response, so will either give up on them or find alternatives:

9. Slide down a fire station pole
10. Work as a barista for a half day
11. Invite the UA president to dinner
12. Harvest honey
13. See a horse born at UA farm

Logically speaking, the next things I should attempt because they are time limited (crossing guard) or perhaps easy to do (my neighbor is a cop) are the following:

14. Ride along with a cop
15. Be crossing guard at school
16. Go roller skating
17. Be a matchmaker for local partisan/politicians
18. Have coffee with a gun-rights (or possibly an abortion-rights) supporter
19. Offer free hugs somewhere in public

Thing I’m working on daily:

20. Be able to fold myself in half

Thing I need to remember to work on daily:

21. Be able to play Pacabel’s Canon in D

Thing I have attempted but been rebuffed on:

22. Talk to guy at bus stop and get his story
    • This is a man I’ve seen for four years who takes a different bus than I do, but we wait in a similar place. I’ve been curious about him forever. He doesn’t speak to anyone, and rarely catches anyone’s eye. It took me an entire year of saying “Hi, how are you?” to get him to respond with a hello. Every so often, he’ll now say, “Hi, fine” but that is all. The other day was the first time I’d seen him talking to anyone, and it was another man, dressed similarly, and the guy was really animated. Yet when I said, “Hi!” he barely responded and avoided eye contact. Ergo: I think he really is too shy to talk to a stranger. However, as reported in this blog post, I did give a homeless guy a $20 a couple weeks ago and yesterday he was riding the street car and told me he got a job! That was very cool.

That leaves the following:

23. Try belly dancing
24. Take a Dobro lesson
25. Get in-person meeting with Senators/congressperson re: climate change & gun control
26. Have coffee with a homeless person
27. Spend a half day at the Sister Jose Center
28. Take tap dancing lessons
29. Ride a train to CA
30. Segway tour