On a recent episode of Mamamia Out Loud, Mia Freedman posed a question to Holly Wainwright and Jessie Stephens about milestone birthdays.

"Narcissistic or a bloody good idea?" Mia asked. "I have a question about the best way to celebrate a milestone birthday."

First, she reminded her co-hosts of Meghan Markle's 40th birthday — when the Duchess of Sussex asked 40 friends, activists, athletes, artists, and world leaders to contribute 40 minutes to support women re-entering the workforce.

Then she shared the story of a different Megan.

Megan Vered, who marked a milestone birthday with the help of 70 people.

For her 70th birthday, the San Francisco writer decided she didn't want a fuss, but rather to share experiences with her loved ones. 

Sharing her story with HuffPost Personal, Megan wrote: "I asked myself, what can I do to fill my memory bank? Swim 70 laps? Make 70 charity donations? String a necklace with 70 heirloom beads?

"More than anything, I wanted to spend cherished time with loved ones."

Megan marked her 70th birthday with the help of 70 people. Image: Instagram/@meganvered

So, what did Megan do? She made a list of 70 people and she wrote them an email. It said:  

"I pressed send, wondering if people would take my request seriously or regard it as yet another big idea," she wrote.

But Megan's loved ones received the email with open arms. And the result was six experiences a month. 72 for the full year. Hiking, kayaking, picnics, ferry rides, coffee, live music, museums, and so much more. 

"Having crossed the threshold to 70, I feel full, not in a cake-and-ice-cream way, but filled with memories of a year well spent," she wrote at the end of it all.

"My year of fun helped me see that though I may slow down as I age, neither my dazzle nor my friendships have dimmed. I won't stop dancing until the floor drops out from under me."

Upon hearing Megan's plan, many of her friends remarked that they planned to do the same for their next milestone birthday. 

This prompted a discussion on Out Loud about marking birthdays in this fashion and, respectfully, Mia, Holly, and Jessie disagreed.

To hear the whole story and conversation, listen to the full episode of Mamamia Out Loud below.

Do think this is a good way to spend milestone birthdays, or is it your worst nightmare? If the latter, do you have better ideas?

Let us know in the comments below.

Sign up to Mamamia Weekend Reads

Sent weekly