Recently, I was inspired to write my Life List. The things I want to do between now and ? then. I struggle to express to you how much fun it was to make this list, and not just because it is a list ? because that alone would have been fun. (Seriously, do you need me to make a list for you? Groceries? Honey Do? Anything!) It was more fun than I expected.
The concept of a Bucket List is not new, right, but there?s a fairly trendy craze among bloggers right now to write your Life List. I like the concepts of a "Life List" better than a "Bucket List". It's not about squeezing in a bunch of stuff before you die. Rather, it's about filling your life with things you've always wanted to do. Mighty Girl started the madness with her list, and it?s caught on like crazy ? BECAUSE IT?S AWESOME. Seriously.
But, admittedly, it took me a while to get on board. After reading a few items from Mighty Girl?s list, I was convinced this exercise was not for me. After all, I?ve done it. I?ve backpacked Europe. I?ve bungee jumped in Africa. I?ve seen the Eiffel Tower and the Sistine Chapel and the Berlin Wall and Buckingham Palace. I?ve ridden in a gondola and had beer in an Irish pub and thrown coins over my shoulder into the Trevi Fountain. I?ve been on safari and I?ve given birth and all the other things that are on people?s Bucket Lists. I remember thinking that it was such a lovely concept, but that I didn?t really need to participate.
But then I kept reading her list. And I decided to stop being a brat and remember that I?m all of 27 years old and that there are TONS of things I haven?t done. I have seen but a fraction of this world. I have lived but a fraction of the moments meant for me. Surely I can squeak out a Life List.
And you know what? Once I started writing things down, the ideas poured out of me. I couldn?t get them down fast enough. I was completely distracted thinking about this for two solid days before I got everything down on paper and the swirling in my head stopped.
100 things. So far, it's incomplete, but I know there are things that I?ll want to add. And I can?t wait to get started. I figure it?s safe to commit to crossing off ten items before my 30th birthday, but I secretly think I can do more like twenty.
I strongly encourage each of you to do this. Maybe you don?t tackle 100. Maybe it?s 50. Maybe you boil it down to your absolute Top 10. Maybe you focus your list on your kids ? 100 Things I Want To Do With My Kids Before They Grow Up. Whatever it is ? the idea is to get started. It?s not about having some sort of Cool Kid Resume when you die, it?s about making plans to break routine and intentionally filling your life with unforgettable moments. For me, it?s about taking inspiration from the ?cool? things I?ve already done and ensuring that I keep that adventurous spirit alive in myself. It?s about showing Colt, through my example, that life can be really, really fun. And that there?s just very little in this world that isn?t available to him.
So here?s your assignment. Start a list. Think about anything you?ve ever said ?I?ve always wanted to?? It doesn?t have to be something extreme like ?Have a picnic on the Moon?, but it?s your list ? have at it. You will have fun. I swear it. And if you?re so inclined, please send me a copy. Or post a link in a comment. Or give me some ideas to add to mine.
So without further delay:
100 Things To Do While I'm Here
- Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef
- See every movie ever to have won "Best Picture"
- Visit all 50 states
- Yell "Cut!" on a movie set
- Sponsor a child in a foreign country
- Fly First Class
- Write this book that's in my head
- Climb a mountain with my husband
- Visit the Holy Land
- Go frog gigging
- Visit all 7 continents
- Play the piano again
- Camp in my backyard with my family
- Take a Hot Yoga class
- Walk on the Great Wall of China
- Take a cheesy picture at the 4 corners
- Pan for gold in Alaska
- Hug a California Redwood Tree
- Enjoy a Tahitian sunset
- Play craps at The Monte Carlo Casino
- Stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon
- Hold my grandchildren
- See the Northern Lights
- Own a piece of furniture upholstered in animal print
- Ride a horse on the beach
- Stay up an entire night enjoying the company of a good friend, then watch the sunrise together
- Go all out for a costume party
- Experience the cherry blossoms in Japan
- Take a nap in a hammock
- Get another college degree
- See the Rockettes
- Get a New Year's kiss in Times Square
- Own horses
- Attend an Olympic event
- Stand in the Oval Office
- Be an extra in a movie
- Buy something beautiful on 5th Avenue
- Help deliver a baby
- Crash a wedding
- Build a sand castle with my son
- See the Pyramids
- Pick a winner at the Kentucky Derby
- Give a toast
- Stand inside the Taj Mahal
- Learn to play cribbage
- Train a puppy to roll over
- Plant a tree
- Attend Homecoming at West Point
- Have something named after me (a child, a building, a sandwich, whatever)
- Go an entire week without answering a telephone
- Try snowboarding
- Be a contestant on Wheel of Fortune
- Have my picture made with Jerry Seinfeld
- Go skinny dipping
- Sit on a jury
- Wear the Razorback mascot costume
- Chase a tornado
- Spend Christmas on the beach
- Cook and eat a fish that I caught
- Go to a drive-in movie
- Start a business
- Ride in a donkey cart
- Visit the Galapagos Islands
- See Belize
- Learn to throw a boomerang
- Take a polar bear plunge
- Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
- Win something from a radio station
- Stake out the Loch Ness monster
- Take a Volunteer Vacation
- See the Monarch Butterflies in Angangueo, Mexico
- Throw a surprise party
- Finally punch that ticket to Budapest
- Splash around in a fountain in Rome
- Ice skate on a frozen pond
- Have my caricature drawn on the Venice Beach Boardwalk
- Set a world record
- Spend Christmas volunteering in a soup kitchen
- Build a house of cards
- See my name in lights
- Own a DSLR camera and REALLY learn how to use it
- Serve as Honorary Duck Master at the Peabody
- Take a night dive with Manta Rays in Hawaii
- Learn to wear color
- Tour Washington DC
- Go snowshoeing
- Ride the tallest and fastest rollercoaster on earth (currently the Kingda Ka, at Six Flags in New Jersey)
- Learn to make my Mom's peanut brittle
- See the Grand Ole Opry
- Climb the steps of the Acropolis
- Have a corn dog with Colt at Coney Island
- Meet the Duggars
- Go parasailing
- Pose in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Every man dies. Not every man really lives. – William Wallace
Wow lots of travel! I’m impressed with your entire list, and count me in for #87 :)
you obviously forgot about dollywood
What a great list!!!
I’d def. recommend the Rockettes :) I saw the show twice and it was amazing…it’s my dream to be one.
Although mine is much shorter– I’ve had one going for a couple years now… Only the big, big stuff is on it so far. And I swear ours overlap a LOT. I’ll send it to ya sometime.
Great list! You’ve inspired me! I am going to do one too and post it on my blog http://YolandaVentura.blogspot.com
Well, I’m a lister, alright! I like the feeling of focus it brings. Just might try this exercise out, but I must say that just getting the “to do” lists around here at home and on my desk at work are tasks in and of themselves! C
Love this! I may have to steal your list….
Without making my own list, I have done 19 of the things you have listed :)
Nice! Which ones?!