60 Before 60 Project | Booming Encore

Living My 60 Before 60 Life Lessons and Embracing a No Regrets Philosophy

There was one item that was on my 60 Before 60 Project that I didn't do. So when the chance presented itself, I decided to give it a go.

60 Before 60 Project: 60 Life Lessons Learned

I just completed my 60 Before 60 Project! As I went through this past year, I took the time to reflect on my experiences and learned some valuable life lessons along the way.

My 60 Before 60 Project: Re-engaging with Life

Just before my 59th birthday, I realized that coming out of the pandemic, my life had become a bit dull. So I made a decision to break out of my routine and do 60 different things before I turned 60. Here are my experiences.

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60 Before 60 Project: #1 - Visit the Library

To kick start my 60 before 60 Project, I thought I’d ease into it and begin with something pretty easy. Go to the library.

60 Before 60 Project: #2 - Going Off the Beaten Path

For my second activity for my 60 over 60 project, I decided to take some time to go off the beaten path.

60 Before 60 Project: #3 - Conquering My Fear in Virtual Reality - From 27 Stories High

Have you tried virtual reality? As part of my 60 Before 60 Project, I wanted to tackle a fear of heights and jump from a building 27 stories high.

60 Before 60 Project: #4 - Enjoy the Festive Lights

Do you take the time to appreciate the festive lights? I always wanted to but never actually got around to it. Thanks to my daughter, that changed this year.

60 Before 60 Project: #5 - Start Running.... Again

I am an avid walker and believed that now that I’m older, running was something to now be thought of being part of my past.

60 Before 60 Project: #6 - Go to Church

After an over 30 year hiatus from going to church, I decided it was time to give it another shot.

60 Before 60 Project: #7 - Go to the Symphony

I haven't been to the symphony in over seven years. Given they were playing a holiday concert, I thought it was a great time to go back and experience this.

60 Before 60 Project: #8 - Host a Fondue Party

In her ongoing quest to complete 60 different things before she turns 60, Booming Encore's Founder Susan Williams hosts her first ever fondue party.

60 Before 60 Project: #9 - Unplug From Social Media for 1 Week

For this 60 Before 60 experience, I wanted to discover what would happen if I unplugged from social media for 1 week.

60 Before 60 Project: #10 - Stop Drinking for a Month for Dry January

Would you be able to stop drinking alcohol for a month? That’s what Dry January is all about. For my 60 Before 60 Project I thought I would give this a try.

60 Before 60 Project: #11 - Go To See Live Theatre

I haven't been to see live theatre in years. But when the Broadway musical "Come From Away" was making it's North American tour I thought this would be a great chance to go for my 60 Before 60 Project.

60 Before 60 Project: #12 - Visit a Museum

As a result of the pandemic, museums are at risk. As I hadn't been to a museum for years and thought it was about time to visit one. I just didn't realize how emotional this visit would be.

60 Before 60 Project: #13 - Participate in a Cultural Event

I live in a city that is filled with diversity and there are always different cultural events being celebrated as a result.

60 Before 60 Project: #14 - Go Cross Country Skiing

Rather than just complaining about winter this year, I decided to try and embrace the season and after a 25 year hiatus try cross country skiing again.

60 Before 60 Project: #15 - Go to a Winter Festival

After initially saying no, I changed my mind at the last minute and decided to go to a winter festival. Turns out this was a great decision.

60 Before 60 Project: #16 - Try Reflexology

I had never tried reflexology before. Turned out to be both a relaxing and educating session.

60 Before 60 Project: #17 - Go See a Movie... By Myself

Chances are you have gone to see a movie in a theatre many times. But have you ever gone just by yourself?

60 Before 60 Project: #18 - Speak at an In Person Event

Due to COVID, it had been over two years since I had done an in person speaking engagement so when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it.

60 Before 60 Project: #19 - Get My Blood Work Done

After discussing this with a few people, I discovered that I'm not the only one delinquent on getting my blood work done.

60 Before 60 Project: #20 - Take an Online Course - Just For Fun

Over the years I’ve taken many, many online courses but they have all been work related. I had never actually taken a course just for fun.

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60 Before 60 Project: #21 - Watch a Parade

Who doesn't love a parade? Having not been to one in many, many years I thought this would be a great experience to add to my 60 Before 60 Project.

60 Before 60 Project: #22 - Reconnect with Old Friends

I thought this activity was going to be about going to watch a hockey game and was surprised the valuable experience was reconnecting with old friends.

60 Before 60 Project: #23 - Stop at a Roadside Attraction

How often do you stop at roadside attractions? I rarely do but decided to change that for this 60 Before 60 experience.

60 Before 60 Project: #24 - Do a Radio Interview

This wasn’t expected but when the opportunity presented itself, I just couldn’t resist. I had the opportunity to share my 60 Before 60 Project in a radio interview.

60 Before 60 Project: #25 - Go on a Guided Walking Tour

Have you ever taken a guided walking tour? On a recent visit to Quebec City we decided to take one and were so glad we did!

60 Before 60 Project: #26 - Try a Tasting Menu

For this 60 Before 60 experience, I decided to do something I’ve never done before – try a tasting menu.

60 Before 60 Project: #27 - Share a Life Experience with My Kids

My two children are now grown adults now living independent lives. One of the things that I wanted to do this year was share a life experience with each of them.

60 Before 60 Project: #28 - Go on an Alaskan Cruise

I never really thought about going on an Alaskan Cruise before. This was the biggest experience I had undertaken in my 60 Before 60 Project to date and it certainly did not disappoint!

60 Before 60 Project: #29 - Dance at a Silent Disco

Quite by accident this experience made it's way onto my 60 Before 60 Project. But dancing at a silent disco turned out to be so much fun and something I won't likely forget!

60 Before 60 Project: #30 - Tour a Distillery

We had the opportunity to recently visit some relatives and shared the experience of touring a local distillery.

60 Before 60 Project: #31 - Celebrate Being 60

I recently attended a celebration "Stake Your Day" to celebrate those born in the 1960’s. As I was transported back in time, I couldn't help but remember what a great time this was.

60 Before 60 Project: #32 - Try a New Food

With a Vietnamese Street Food Festival happening, I thought this would be a great time to try a new food. But the event took a bit of a twist and my lesson from the experience turned out to be something I wasn't expecting.

60 Before 60 Project: #33 - Make Jam

It's strawberry season! I love homemade strawberry jam but have never tried making it myself. Thought I would would give it a try.

60 Before 60 Project: #34 - Go to a Festival

Having more time on my hands, I am finding I can explore more of our city's festivals.

60 Before 60 Project: #35 - Try a Bike Sharing Service

I hadn't been bike riding for a couple of years and had never tried a bike sharing program. Thought for this experience I would try them both.

60 Before 60 Project: #36 - Shop at a Local Farmers Market

Since the pandemic, I'm finding I'm shopping more online. I thought it was time for me to go and visit a local farmers market to see what I may be missing.

60 Before 60 Project: #37 - Watch the Sunset

It happens every day. The sun rises then the sun sets. But how much do we really pay attention to this?

60 Before 60 Project: #38 - Go to an Art Gallery

Art galleries have a way of shining a light on both our past and our future. This particular 60 Before 60 experience did exactly that.

60 Before 60 Project: #39 - Go to a Candlelight Concert

Music has a way of evoking many different feelings.

60 Before 60 Project: #40 - Try a Pre-Packaged Meal Delivery Service

We always seem to be so busy. So can a prepackaged meal delivery service help? And is the price worth the convenience?

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60 Before 60 Project: #41 - List My Top 60 Favourite Movies of All Time

What are your favourite movies? Here are 60 of mine.

60 Before 60 Project: #42 - Go to RibFest

I recently attended RibFest and discovered this experience maybe wasn't for me. But also learned that the benefit in trying different things is that you discover what you do and don’t like.

60 Before 60 Project: #43 - Go For an "Awe"-Some Walk

Do you go for walks? Turns out that if you take a different and new path - it's can actually be "awe"-some.

60 Before 60 Project: #44 - Watch Some Fireworks

I couldn't remember the last time she went to watch some fireworks so when the opportunity presented itself, I grabbed it.

60 Before 60 Project: #45 - Learn How to Make Fresh Pasta

Never having made fresh pasta before, I jumped at the opportunity to learn. Other friends joined in and I discovered that beyond just making great pasta, something else amazing happens too.

60 Before 60 Project: #46 - Dine at a Vegan Restaurant

Not being a vegetarian or vegan, I thought it might be interesting to dine at a vegan restaurant as part of my 60 Before 60 Project.

60 Before 60 Project: #47 - Go to an Outdoor Concert

Having not been to an outdoor concert as part of my 60 Before 60 Project, thought I would give this a go. Turned out to be a different experience than I was expecting.

60 Before 60 Project: #48 - Try Playing Disc Golf

Having driven past a disc golf course for years, I was always wanting to give the sport a try. This time I stopped and played.

60 Before 60 Project: #49 - Go Forest Bathing (shinrin-yoku)

Have you ever heard of the term "forest bathing"? This was a new concept for me but thought I would give it a try as part of my 60 Before 60 Project.

60 Before 60 Project: #50 - Try Playing Pickleball

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States and I wanted to find out if all the hype was true.

60 Before 60 Project: #51 - Visit the Zoo

It had been at least fifteen years since I last went to the zoo. I discovered this visit made me want to learn more about the role of zoos.

60 Before 60 Project: #52 - Share a Life Experience With My Son

I wanted to share a life experience with each of my kids. I was fortunate to have visited the west coast with my daughter and share a life experience with my son on the east coast.

60 Before 60 Project: #53 - Go on a Haunted Walking Tour

While in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia I took a haunted walking tour on Friday the 13th. I discovered life is meant to be lived well without regrets.

60 Before 60 Project: #54 - Visit Halifax, Nova Scotia

When touring Nova Scotia, one of the first places we visited was the capital - Nova Scotia. I hadn't been there in over 45 years. It was interesting to see how the city has evolved.

60 Before 60 Project: #55 - Visit One of the Most Photographed Lighthouses In the World

When you think of eastern Canada, you often think of fishing villages and the atlantic coast. One place in particular has become famous for it's lighthouse and scenery. Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia.

60 Before 60 Project: #56 - Visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Have you ever visited a UNESCO World Heritage Site? As part of our tour through Nova Scotia, we stopped and stayed at one - Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

60 Before 60 Project: #57 - Visit the Scallop Capital of the World

While touring Nova Scotia, one of the places we visited was the scallop capital of the world - Digby, Nova Scotia.

60 Before 60 Project: #58 - Tour the Botanical Gardens

People were always raving about the beauty of the botanical gardens but I had never been. Turns out my tour not only revealed some beauty of autumn for plants but for humans as well.

60 Before 60 Project: #59 - Go on a Mediterranean Cruise

Going on a Mediterranean cruise had always been a dream. But it's funny how sometimes life takes a different twist and it doesn't go quite as planned.

60 Before 60 Project: #60 - Take an EPIC Trip and Tour Spain

To close out my 60 Before 60 Project, I wanted to take an EPIC trip. Touring Spain was exactly the right choice to make.

Participants

Susan Williams

Founder, Booming Encore