The day I decided ‘someday’ had to become now.
There’s a photo of me I used to hate. To be honest, it still makes me cringe a little.
It’s on Williamstown Lake, tucked away in Sunset Cove. My husband and I had just wrangled my brand-new paddleboard out of its Amazon box, figured out how to blow it up (the hand pump is NOT the move), and boated over to our favorite spot. It was late in lake season, so mercifully, very few other boaters were out and we had the cove to ourselves….or so I thought.
I sat on the swim platform, ready to make my graceful, athletic debut onto that beautiful teal-blue board. I slid the board into the water and eased myself on. Even sitting in the center felt wobbly, so my confidence started to fade. As I moved farther from our boat, every shift felt unsteady. I tried to stand. Legs shaking, hands pressing into the board for support. The second my hands lifted, I was in the water.
Each time, I couldn’t get back on without chasing down the board, swimming back to the boat, climbing the ladder, and starting over. I laughed to keep from crying.
When I finally gave up and looked at the photo my husband snapped, I noticed another boat in the background. So much for no audience. And it became glaringly apparent why I couldn’t stand up. I was humiliated and angry at the choices I’d made, at how I’d neglected myself, at my failing knees, at years of taking care of everyone but me. In my head, I was still an athlete. I’m the girl who played volleyball, softball, and tennis. The girl who ran a half marathon in 2014 and a full marathon in 2016.
That day on the lake, my body told me what I wasn’t.
I wish I could tell you that despite my size and my arthritic knees, I popped up and did a little victory dance. I didn’t. I never got close. I laughed, swallowed a little lake water, and decided things needed to change.
From “Someday” to a Deadline
I’ve kept a bucket list for most of my adult life—equal parts practical and audacious, silly and daring. Launch a blog, travel to all 50 states, take a two-week trip to Hawaii, learn how to sail, hike Mt. LeConte, get a tattoo, learn to paddleboard (see above), refresh my long-forgotten piano skills…the works.
In the years prior to The Great Paddleboard Fiasco, I was surviving more than living. Time, money, and health each had seasons of being tight or nonexistent.
In 2023, I pulled out my bucket list again because I needed something out in front of me, something to aim for so I’d move forward. I had an honest moment as I stared at that paper: poor health and pain were going to keep me from a lot of those dreams, or steal the joy even if I muscled through.
So I went to work on the foundation:
- I started losing weight in 2023.
- When progress stalled, I pushed for answers and learned I had an undiagnosed disease. I have hyperparathyroidism (an adenoma on my parathyroid). I had surgery to remove it on 2/29/24. Leap Day. Fitting. The weight began to come off faster.
- I had two total knee replacements. Left on 5/13/24, right on 11/18/24.
- By April 2025, I had lost 120 pounds. Two years of consistency, frustration, experimentation, and a very glamorous cane.
It is life-changing to not be in constant pain. My confidence is so much higher and not just because of weight, but because I’m trying new things and putting myself out there. I can’t wait until fear goes away; the fear dissipates and the confidence grows by doing the thing. I’m grateful for the life I’ve been given and the life I’m creating for my family….my husband, my three adult kids, my three stepkids, and my granddaughter.
With my health in a much better place, that bucket list stopped looking like fantasy and started looking like a map.
The Promise: Fifty by 50
On my 47th birthday (April 29, 2025), I made it official: I’m doing fifty meaningful things before I turn 50. Some are small and long overdue; some are big and brave. A real deadline. A public deadline. This girl NEEDS a deadline. I turn 50 on April 29, 2028 (God-willing), which gives me just enough time to make this next chapter the best one yet.
This isn’t a stunt list; it’s a real-life mix. Think: learn to make sourdough, keep an herb garden alive for more than a month, start strength training (I’ve always hated it)…and some more challenging goals: learn to sail, hike to the top of Mt. LeConte, visit the Northeast during peak fall foliage.
I’m calling it The Fifty by 50 Challenge. This blog is my trail journal. Equal parts behind the scenes, gear and route notes, what worked/what bombed, and the kind of pep talks I wish I’d had while trying to get on that paddleboard in Sunset Cove.
That vulnerable paddleboard photo? It belongs here in my story, not buried in my camera roll. It marks the moment I decided the second half of my life would look different. Someday is now.
The First Five
I’m revealing these five at a time, because life is better with a little suspense. And to be transparent, I don’t have all 50 figured out yet. That leaves room to follow curiosity and real life.
- Stand up on my paddleboard and paddle from our dock to one end of Williamstown Lake. It started as comedy-turned-humbling and will end as a victory lap.
- Launch this blog and actually tell people about it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked about starting a blog. I’ve got the domain names and GoDaddy receipts to prove it. Time to follow through.
- Take a trip to Woodstock, Vermont, and Kennebunkport, Maine to see leaves, drink coffee, and eat cider donuts and maple creemees. Hikes sprinkled in to burn the extras.
- Get a tattoo. Quick, meaningful win. It’ll be my first.
- Hike Auxier Ridge (Red River Gorge). My new knees are ready to tackle what my old knees couldn’t.
I’ve got 45 more to reveal—adventure, health, learning, family, and pure fun. Stay tuned.
What Changed (and What Didn’t)
I’m still the same woman who sat on that paddleboard and fell into the water too many times to count. I still laugh when I want to cry. I still over-prepare. I still overthink. If I wait too long to start, I still talk myself out of it.
What changed is the sequence:
- Act first. Confidence follows.
- Make it public. Accountability follows.
- Choose the next right, hard thing. Then do it again tomorrow. Life change follows.
I’m not special, but I am stubborn. I finally pointed that stubbornness at the life I actually want.
How I’ll Share (and How You Can Follow Along)
Once a month I send The Monthly Climb, a short email with:
- Behind-the-scenes progress (and setbacks)
- Mini pep talks
- Steps, routes, and tools I’m using
- One small “Do this this month” nudge
If you’re an empty nester, newly single, newly married, or simply a woman who feels like she’s lost herself and is ready to make this next chapter the best one yet, come with me. You don’t have to do fifty things, you just have to do the next thing!
Subscribe to The Weekly Climb and follow the blog so you don’t miss the journey.
Let’s make it happen!
Anne 💛
Notes & Timeline (for the curious)
- Weight loss: May 2023 → April 2025, total loss 120 pounds
- Parathyroid surgery (adenoma removed): February 29, 2024
- Left knee total replacement: May 13, 2024
- Right knee total replacement: November 18, 2024
- Fifty by 50 Challenge idea: April 29, 2025
- Fifty by 50 goal date: April 29, 2028
- Northeast fall trip: October 7–14, 2025
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