I'm Not So Behind

Could it be that I'm not as behind as I thought I was?

I spent the last few years bemoaning how direly behind I was compared to my Harvard friends, who all took the high(-paying) road, while I became an...actor. Wow. So prestigious.

So it was such a boost when ella responded to my call for 30 after 30 with a Joyce Carol Oates-prolificness and I realized I'd already accomplished or begun many of the items on her list in my 20s.

(Could that be why some of the 20s were so suckerific?)

Here's her list in its entirety, because much of it is good advice for women of any age. I've crossed off the ones I've already finished and highlighted the ongoing ones; the rest will go on my 30 after 30 list. Which ones have you accomplished - which ones do you want to do?

1. Get in shape. You will feel badly later in life if you let this time when it's SUPER easy to get in shape slip by.
2. Stop caring what other people think about you. Do what you like. (Love this one! Been working on it for years...still not there yet)
3. Start a retirement plan. You're actually late if you haven't done so by now. So get on it.
4. Travel
5. Do that corny "talk with your grandparents" stuff. It seems stupid now, but by the time you are really interested, they'll be dead and you'll wish you had. (it's funny because this is on my 5-year-plan too)
6. Lean to speak Spanish.
7. Take super, duper good care of your skin. Sunscreen all the time. Become that crazy lady that always wears a hat.
8. Seriously.
9. Pay off all your debts. Work your way down to one credit card.
10.Learn how to take a compliment.
11.Learn to say "NO".
12. Write a will. (does the one I wrote when I was 13 count?)
13.Forgive your parents.
14. Spend Christmas by yourself anyway you want.
15. Make thanksgiving dinner and become an expert in it.
16. Seriously consider NOT having children. Or if you do, really think about why you want to. I'm pretty famous for hating kids.
17. Have lots of photos taken. Never mind if it's a bad hair day, or you're feeling fat. You will want to see yourself at this age.
18. Consolidate your "stuff". Things that are important now (journals? scrapbooks?) will seem less so at 40. If you want to guarantee these things won't get tossed out in a moment of purging, it's best if they're tidy and organized.
19. Wean yourself off fast food. This one was done at age 23, the night I saw Super Size Me.
20. Wear your hair in braids. Srsly--ya just can't pull that off after 40...