The Beginning

My name is Sarah.
I turned 31 today.
And I’m single.
I’ve spent many an hour asking God, “Why? Why aren’t I married yet? Why, when (seemingly) all of my friends have started their lives, am I left single?”   The way I saw it, my life would start when I got married and started a family of my own.  I was simply biding my time, waiting for my life to begin.   God's answer to my questions came about a year ago, in two scriptures. The first was Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” The frying pan that hit me over the head was the beginning….for I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU….He has a plan, He knows it, and He loves me.  That’s really all I need to know. 

The second verse comes from Ecclesiastes 3:1, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” (Yes, it was written in the Bible long before The Byrds put it to music). God has me in this season of my life for a reason. I just need to make the most of it.

Around the time God was revealing this to me, my cousin, also approaching 30, told me that she made a list of 30 things she wanted to do before she turned 30. Well, my birthday was looming a little closer than hers, so I decided to make my own list: Thirty things to do while I’m thirty. I would have a year to complete them. It’s a Bucket List of sorts, but they had to be things that were reasonably attainable in a year and with my resources. A gondola ride in Venice, a Christmas Market in Germany, and the Sound of Music tour of Salzburg would have to wait. But there were plenty of things I could experience, learn, or accomplish, in a year.  Thirty small adventures. Here’s what I came up with:

1. Grow my fingernails and get a French manicure
2. Find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop
3. Rock climb
4. Make pasta from scratch
5. Try kayaking/paddle boating/canoeing
6. See a movie at a Drive In
7. Go fishing
8. Take a trip
9. Watch 5 classic movies I haven’t seen
10. Keep a plant alive for 6 months or more
11. Make something I can wear
12. Volunteer at a homeless shelter/soup kitchen
13. Eat breakfast at Tiffany’s (the jewelry store)
14. Milk a cow
15. Go a week without watching TV
16. Read a book by Jane Austen
17. Go to a museum I’ve never been to
18. Buy a goat for a family in a third world country
19. Buy the perfect pair of boots
20. Try online dating
21. Makeover a piece of furniture
22. Get CPR recertified
23. Play in puddles
24. Sleep outside during a meteor shower
25. Cut down my own Christmas tree
26. Learn how to tie a tie
27. See a lighthouse
28. Go to a water park
29. Take a cooking class
30. Take my neighbors a gift and meet them

And so, my small adventures began. I’m still praying (earnestly) for a husband and a family of my own, but I’m not wasting any more time.

My name is Sarah.
I turned 31 today.
I’m still single.
But I’m not just killing time any more.