This is how I plan to start 60 sentences this year. Why? Because I just turned 60!!

The funny thing is I don’t feel 60. I used to feel 37, but now I feel 42. And I don’t want to act 60 (although, I don’t really know what that means.) So, I decided to celebrate this momentous new decade by having 60 adventures—60 crazy-ass wows—over the next year. 

First up: I celebrated my 60^th in Paris. Yep. The City of Lights!! I flew solo across the Atlantic and spent three days exploring the place I used to dream about. I’m part French. My maiden name is Poythress, derived from the Anglo-Norman French “poi dras,” which means “scantily clad” or “little clothing.” (Apparently, my ancestors were into wows.) One college professor even nicknamed me “The French Girl.” I’ve always wanted to go, and I finally did. (More on Paris in a future post.)

You should know, I’m not someone who normally does crazy. I am the responsible sister. The one who knows and plays by the rules. The one who is irritated when others don’t follow said rules. Like when the guy in the stadium seat next to me extends his leg into what is clearly my space. And then I can’t focus on the game because I’m completely consumed by the violation of the invisible boundaries of my designated seat. 

When I think about following the rules, I’m reminded of Scooter and Dee Dee, the Jack Russell terriers we had when my boys were little. We took them to the ballpark one day to watch Nick’s t-ball game. A little girl walked up to me, pointed at Scooter, and said, “This dog knows the rules.” Then she pointed to Dee Dee and said, “This dog does not know the rules.” She was exactly right. 

Dee Dee (shown above, enjoying a cocktail on Mackinac Island) knew how to get on the kitchen counter by jumping on a chair, then the table, then the counter. She would outwit Scooter every day of the week. My favorite trick of hers was when she distracted him while he was eating a treat so she could swoop in and steal it. Dee Dee was the queen of crazy. The baroness of breaking the rules.

I WANT TO BE DEE DEE!!!!

Up until now, the craziest thing I’d ever done was to chew gum while wearing braces. It’s only crazy because I got caught by my orthodontist’s receptionist who just happened to be at the same pizza place. She told my orthodontist, who called me a “filthy gum chewer” at my next appointment. Otherwise, my life has been fairly of the following-the-rules variety.

But things are about to change. My favorite book as a child was The Little Engine That Could. (I even brought a copy of the book to Paris with me.) I’m about to make good on the “could.”

And I want to invite you to do something crazy, too. What’s something you dream of doing only to think, “Nah, I can’t do that.” Well, why not? And … if you invite me to do something crazy with you, I will say yes. Unless it’s skydiving. Then it’s a hard hell-no. Or if it’s illegal. Because if there’s anything that’ll ruin a good year, it’s being in jail. 

So, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? Or want to do? Do it! Or let’s do it together!!