my longest “to-do” list ever
Thursday, February 4
# 46 — I used to love windsurfing so much I would shrinkwrap myself in neoprene and wear ski goggles, ripping across frigid Montana lakes in October. I want to windsurf again someday, where it's warmer.
“Bucket” Lists or Life Lists of things to do before you die have become popular lately. Mighty Girl actually got her Mighty Life List sponsored by intel after she blogged about it and has since made many dreams come true. The spirited, hilarious 20-something boys over at The Buried Life have MTV filming their quest to cross things off their list as they travel the country and help others cross things off their lists as well.
And maybe because I’ve always been a listmaker (*control freak*), this idea inspires me. I thought about what to include on my list before writing things down, often feeling blank and in turn anxious. There are many notions that have made repeat appearances in my brain, but what if they turn out bogus? Take number 3, for instance. I THINK I want to get into apiculture, and I even took a class about how to keep bees this past weekend. But bees sting. What if I get the shit stung out of me and decide the whole bee idea was painfully foolish?
Mighty Girl thought she wanted to parasail and tried paragliding as a substitute. Apparently her and paragliding? Notsomuch. Three years ago summitting Montana’s highest mountain, Granite Peak, with Shawn and Oldest Son would’ve surely been on my list. I even made some pathetic attempts at rock climbing with them that summer in effort to prepare for our adventure. When we reached the final climb to the top of Granite and had to rope up, I took a look down, then up, then sent Oldest Son with Shawn and our brother-in-law to experience the triumph of reaching the top without me. Turns out I’m just fine not conquering my fear of heights and have no desire to reach Montana’s high point anymore.
But really, what excites me the most about starting my own list (most people come up with 100, so I’ve still got some thinking to do) is that it’s a call to live. Something to help me remember as the days drag on at work and I feel like life is passing by that there are still things I am passionate about and intend to make happen. If you decide to put together a list, I’d love to hear what’s on it. It’s amazing what you learn about a person by reading their lists. So here goes — my publicly detailed commitment to living large:
- Experience Europe or other foreign country by road bike
- Raise chickens
- Learn to tend bees and put a hive in back yard
- Have small greenhouse in yard
- Max out yard’s “edible landscape” potential
- Pay off all debt (including mortgage)
- Become financially stable enough that I can work less
- Help sons pay for college
- Explore Alaska
- Live somewhere completely different for two years
- Go to Africa to volunteer/help in some way
- Adopt/foster or help a child in some way
- Buy more food locally
- Take another snorkeling/body surfing trip with extended family and the boys before they're out of high school
- Remodel house so that it feels “done”
- Get comfy furniture for back deck
- Sea kayak around Vancouver/Canadian coast
- Experience sons becoming men doing good things in the world
- Take a pampering/relaxing/cooking-type trip alone with my mom/Aunt somewhere
- Backpack into a forest service cabin alone for a weekend with good food and books
- Run the Devil’s Backbone relay race
- Backpack trip in the Grand Canyon
- Backpack trip in Glacier National Park
- Have a safe close-up encounter with a bear
- See wolves up close again
- Run in a trail race when I’m 70
- See Dave Matthews Band in concert — preferably outside
- See a whale close up
- Get “unplugged” with Shawn/the boys during a week-long rafting trip again
- Help boys personalize their bedrooms
- Get boys’ photo albums up to date
- Get an MFA/MA to allow me to teach college writing
- Write a book
- Fill the yard with enough summer perennial flowers to always have cut flowers on the table
- Take cooking classes
- Improve Spanish
- Travel around Latin America speaking Spanish
- Work on whole-family organization and neatness
- Install solar hot water system on house
- Become a better neighbor/reach out more
- Keep in closer contact with my brothers and their partners
- Learn how to make wine
- Buy a kick-ass espresso machine
- Buy area rug for front room
- Support artists/buy original art for walls
- Windsurf again
- Improve photography skills
- Throw a big party every year
- Get rid of anything not useful, beautiful or sentimental
- Compete in a Nordic ski race in another country
- Watch/ride Tour De France course with Shawn
- Donate clothing that doesn’t make me feel good
- Find meaningful ways to help alleviate global poverty
- Live near my grandkids someday
- Rip it up at a street dance on a perfect summer night in a pretty summer dress
- Find/handle rubber boa snake while hiking again, this time with Shawn and/or the boys
- Rock a (borrowed!) baby to sleep
- Experience at least one of the boys learning to sail/captain a boat on the ocean from their grandpa
- Continue annual group camping trip w/Shawn's family. Encourage more family & friends to join us each year.
- Cultivate a killer raspberry patch
# 5 — I'm working to make this yard...
...look more like this. (Photo from pathtofreedom.org)
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Reader Comments (11)
Nice.
Many of these we can help with directly (14, 46, 47)
Many of these we'd love to join you in, at least partially (27, 51, 54!)
One of these is going to bring a tear to my wife's eye (19)
Oooh, now you've got me thinking. Perfect timing, since T's filled up with frustration at work. Think positive. Dream.
I'm so grateful I got to live in Montana, where I was able to cross off stuff on the list that I didn't even know I wanted to do, like goats and chickens and three boys.
Lemme know when you need help with stuff I can help with, like chickens. Not providing the baby to rock. Sorry.
Wow! I'm #19! <sniff> Thank you. Let's do it!
I read some of the Mighty List posts with great interest. I especially liked how she discovered that some of the things on the list were not so great when push came to shove.
My list is mostly travel-oriented. Like living abroad for at least a year. But there are other things I could add. Now I'm going to have to actually write it all down.
BTW, I've had a tiny bit of experience caring for chickens and I don't really recommend it. Although on a small scale, I suppose they're alright.
When you come visit to fulfill some of the items on your list, will you help me set up a garden that I can't kill?
#33 - Yes, please.
#35 - I'll go with you. I want to take one, too.
I did find it mildly amusing that these two were next to each other:
# Become financially stable enough that I can work less
# Help sons pay for college
;-)
You really hit it with this post, especially for those of us who are looking at our kids heading off to college (which I may or may not be able to pay for) in the near future. Because after so many years of taking care of everyone else, you kind of forget who you are and what you like to do. And that thought is more than a little scary. So thank for making me think about it. So my #1 is drink wine, lots of wine. In France!
We've been thinking a lot lately about what we want our life to look like, so this is quite timely. I love that you have big adventures as well as things like #43 and #44. Some of those things you could cross off your list in a weekend.
Very inspiring. I currently have one thing on my list. (i'm not a list maker apparently) It is to actually USE my college degree. I know, the ambition is just stunning.( sheesh)
BrotherJohn: Now I'm realizing that's the cool part of making a list public...People raising their hands, "Over here! We can help cross this one off..." ( Of course a few of them already had certain names implied within them.)
Cherilyn: You're my first stop when we get serious about the chickens and need advice. Glad we can swap inpspiration.
FaveAuntie: I would LOVE to help you with any gardening. Really, once you get the beds in and established, the work load isn't much. Take a cup of coffee or glass of wine outside with you a few times a week when the sun is low and "putter" as I call it. Pull a weed here and there, tidy things up and make sure the plants are getting what they need. It's relaxing.
Heidi: Yeah, girl! Now we just need to figure out how to get them to give us a scholarship for our sheer awesomeness :) There are several places around town offering cooking classes.
Denise: I so totally agree. For the first week I started thinking about this I had the same sensation: I didn't really know WHAT I would want to do if I had the time/intention hammered out. But then after I let it simmer the dam broke. I'm guessing if you start by writing down the wine in France ( a fine idea!), others will follow.
Melynda: Yeah, I guess that's the deal. The list can't be totally "pie in the sky." I want it to be obtainable, some now and some later...
Pooknelle: As multi-talented, creative and wonderful as you are, I am certain you will find your spot in the world.
Very inspiring but I would cross off chickens and bees. You can always find somewhere to purchase the fresh and finished product with out doing anything stinky and painful . I would just stick with raising Angus. I too am a list maker and I might think of my own bucket list. What is it about oldest children and their control freak impulses, my husband thinks my lists are cute. I cant operate well with out them
What I like about YOUR garden is the trampoline in the background. And don't cross of chickens no matter what they say.
Well, your list is impressive. About the only thing I've done on it is see DMB outside live in concert, and I've seen a whale (several!) up close - one of them was right off the side of the small boat, just a few feet away, and it was the most amazing thing I've seen in my life. I hope you get to experience that someday.
I went to Alaska last year but it was on a cruise ship, so I don't know whether you'd call that "exploring" Alaska. . . . and I did bicycle in Holland, but it was only for an afternoon. Still. . . I guess that's better than nothing! :)
Good luck to you in achieving the goals on this list. Off to write my own now. . . .