40 by Forty: A List Inspired Adventure

If you read the blurb about me on this page you’ll know that I enjoy boxing. To that end I've discovered an amazing female boxer from Turners Falls, Ma. Her name is Sonya Lamonakis and while she’s won many fights as a female heavyweight boxer, her day job is as a teacher in New York City. If you want to be inspired check out this video of her:

The Story of Sonya Lamonakis - Female Boxing Video

In any event, Lamonakis had her first title fight scheduled in NYC this past November and I was determined to be there to cheer her on. My sister, having just come off of a year filled with immense challenges, thought the event would be a great way to celebrate her triumphs and I, savoring the last year of my thirties thought the fight a great way to jumpstart my year of adventure. We were ready to hit the road …

PLOT TWIST

The fight was cancelled.

Talk about disappointment. Everything had been planned out including child care for my son and now we had no event to attend. I can’t imagine what it feels like for a fighter to train hard for months only to have their fight canceled the day of, but my disillusionment was pretty hefty.

Sullen and deflated, thoughts of my normal daily routine flitted thru my head. I saw myself making dinner, putting the frozen casserole I’d prepared for my absence back in the freezer, picking up J.J. from school and coming home to do laundry. About to resign myself to doing just that, something caught my eye, my 40 by Forty list. It seemed to peak out from a pile of papers, almost as if it were taunting me. That’s when it hit me. I realized I was framing this change in events all wrong. I had an entire day, until late into the night to do WHATEVER I wanted to do. My responsibilities had been pre-arranged and taken care of. When does that ever happen? I had pocket money from what I wasn’t going to spend on the trip to the fight. Again, when does that ever happen? Plus, I had my sister to spend the day with and that REALLY never happens. I wasn’t about to waste another moment of my thirties thinking of what might have been when I could instead create what would be.

We hit the road for NYC. We were going there originally, so we decided to stay the course and fly by the seat of our pants. Having grown up not far from the city and with several trips from our younger days under our belts, we knew we’d have no problem finding fun. Off we went to create a spontaneous endeavor sure to be memorable.

While I won’t share all the details of that day, some have been pinky sworn to secrecy between sisters, I will tell you this. Laughter, good conversation, reminiscing our childhood, celebrating our present and looking forward to our future were just some of the musings gleaned. We saw an amazing show on Broadway, Rock of Ages. Appropriate for the ruminating we did. We ate street food from vendors and took in the sights and smells of a city unlike any other. It was a bonus experience neither of us had expected and one that we’ll cherish forever. For me, it was proof that no matter my age, life is what I make it and sometimes great opportunity comes in the form of disappointment.