My friend Melissa, (who by the way, is living an incredible life- she and her husband just had their first baby, in Egypt- yeah, for reals) recently posted about her To-Do list- as in, for all of life. Anyone else have one of those? It got me thinking, and I decided to dig out my old list, and see how far I’ve come… Things completed or in-process are underlined.
- Have Children (well, done and done and done.. and I think I’m done)
- Own my own home. (on house #2- now if only we could find a job so we can keep this little gem I love so very much)
- Visit Germany and Austria. (done that, too- alone- now I want to do it with my husband)
- Learn to throw pottery on a wheel.
- Take a cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu
- See Machu Pichu and the plains at Nazca
- See the Pyramids
- Have an art show in a toney little gallery- and actually sell something.
- Spend some time on the Italian riviera- La Cinque Terre.
- Visit Paris- without kids.
- Date a European man (did that)
- Own a convertible and drive the PCH (done)
- Be a nurse-midwife (sometimes I think this life is just not long enough. That one is probably not gonna happen)
- Have a novel published by a real book publisher. (Not just Blurb. Maybe Knopf?)
- Take an architectural tour of New Orleans
- Run throught he Austrian Alps singing like Julie Andrews (done- and no one even noticed)
- Read Moby Dick and Anna Karenina. All the way through.
- Be an archaeologist. (Yeah, another one that’s probably not going to happen)
- Make beautiful things, under my own name, instead of for someone else’s designs. (in process)
- Learn to fly a plane (yeah, don’t care so much about this one anymore)
- Hang-glide (also one that doesn’t appeal to married-mama-me as much as wild, single me)
- Learn to knit. (that I can do! and do! often!)
- Have the home everyone feels welcome in and want to hang out at…(ongoing experiment- I think I’m doing ok, but my friends and time will be the barometer of this one)
- Grow old gracefully and like who I am (also in process- so far, so good)
- See the Aurora Borealis
- Climb Half-Dome (have climbed Vernal Falls, but not even close to Half Dome)
- Learn to develop film and be a better photographer.
- Keep a journal (oh, how I love my blog!)
- Have a front porch. (hooray!)
- Travel to Morocco, Constantinople, Prague, India and New Zealand. Not all in one trip.
- Find God and stop wondering (oh how grateful I am…)
So, that’s the short list… I hope the list keeps growing as I get older- that as I cross things off and complete goals, I can keep adding new dreams and hopes and wishes.
14 comments
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May 6, 2008 at 8:27 pm
JS
Well, you have done half of one…you haven’t had an art show, but you did sell something!
May 6, 2008 at 8:32 pm
tracy m
I have actually had an art show- at a gallery in Menlo Park when I was still a single girl- but I didn’t sell anything!
So I suppose I’ve done both- just not at the same time!
May 6, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Erin Marie
Colleges usually have a photography class where they develop their own film - usually black and white because it’s cheaper. It’s SO much fun; I love it. Hopefully, they won’t switch to doing only digital because I think it’s easier to manipulate some things while printing the pictures rather than on the computer.
I think the only things on my list are to own a house (just a few more years!), have more kids (one down, a couple more to go), go through the SLC temple, visit Church history sites, and go on a mission (I’ve got quite a few years before THAT). Oh, and go on a cruise.
May 6, 2008 at 9:04 pm
angela michelle
Hey, I know Melissa–her husband and mine are colleagues in the history field.
May 6, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Liz
When I was in Austria, my friends and I took the “sound of music tour” and we too danced on top of the mountains like Julie Andrews. It was a blast!
May 6, 2008 at 9:47 pm
cheryl
I love your last goal. It’s the most important one, you know. I’m glad you got it done!
This is making me want to get out my old list. I need to find it…
May 6, 2008 at 10:00 pm
hairyshoefairy
You’re totally inspiring me to make a list like this. I love reading yours and seeing what you’ve accomplished and are accomplishing. You must be so proud of yourself!
May 6, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Jolene
This list is completely inspiring. I love that you have done so many things! I am going to dig out my old journals and see if I can find mine and blog about it. I’m sure it will be superficial and shallow - I was 19 when I wrote it.
May 6, 2008 at 10:37 pm
em
That’s a pretty concise and well-rounded little list.
And I think it’s perfectly healthy to not finish your list. So long as the things you pass on are the ones you realize belong to a phase in your life, not so much to the essence of your being. There’s no disappointment in letting those go.
(hence I no longer want to be a martyr for a democratic political cause in Africa….. which was actually very important to me when i was 13)
May 7, 2008 at 2:59 am
Melissa DM
You always have a place to stay if you decide to cross the pyramids off your list!
May 7, 2008 at 5:19 am
glittersmama
I enjoyed reading your list. I’m off to make one now…
May 7, 2008 at 7:58 am
jen38
What an amazing list and it sounds like you have accomplished some really spectacular things in your lifetime. I would love travel to Paris with you (also on my bucket list). At some point in time, I need to travel to West Africa. My parents both lived and married there while serving in the Peace Corps.
My only trip to Europe was to Germany and Austria with my In-Laws BC (before children). We had a fabulous time and went to several museums, Cathedrals, and I gained at least 10 pounds from eating all that yummy German food.
I wish I had dated a European Man! Dang. Every once in a while, Evan will generate his best Fabio Clooney voice for me.
May 7, 2008 at 8:19 am
Michelle AM
Em, I like the way you worded those things a person doesn’t finish: “the ones you realize belong to a phase in your life, not so much to the essence of your being.”
Tracy, this is a great well-rounded list. You deserve to be proud of your accomplishments and those that are in progress!
Thanks for the inspiration to actually write down a new complete list of things to accomplish (instead of just bits and pieces) that has been stewing around in my mind for the past 20 years!
May 7, 2008 at 9:51 am
Michelle at Scribbit
Horseback riding, sailing, flying a helicopter . . . oh I should do my own post on this.