Several months ago, a friend of mine published her "45 before 45" list - a more uplifting alternative to a "bucket list." I was inspired to create my own... which has been languishing in my saved documents ever since. (Much like my oft-mentioned post about book reviews... *squirm*) Anyway, here we are:
1. Publish a short story.
2. Take a photography class.
3. Return to London at least once. (Make that twice!)
4. Return to the National Gallery (London) to visit my favorite painting, Van Eyck’s “The Arnolfini Wedding.”
5. Go on a cruise. (I’ll be able to cross this one off very soon.)
6. Stay at the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City.
7. Take voice lessons.
8. Sing in public. (Karaoke counts!)
9. Travel to Egypt.
10. Travel to Japan.
11. Spend more than $500 on a piece of jewelry for myself.
12. BUY a new car. (Current one is a lease.) <---Done on 11/12! Just goes to show you how long ago I started this.
13. Visit Everglades National Park.
14. Clean up my credit score. (Stupid medical bills!)
15. See the Grand Canyon.
16. Get my CAPS designation (Doing this one next year.)
17. Fit into my high school jeans. (Hope to be able to do this by late January!)
18. See David Bowie in concert.
19. Learn a martial art. (I think everyone agrees this would be safer than me learning how to shoot a gun.)
20. Plant and maintain a garden.
21. Finish a sewing project.
22. Fly first class.
23. Get another dog. Frenchies are my favorite right now!
24. Pay for my parents to take a vacation somewhere amazing.
25. Own and operate a bookstore.
26. Consistently donate to a well-deserving cause/charity.
27. Start a scrapbook.
28. Learn how to properly change a flat tire.
29. Stay in an over-priced luxurious hotel suite for no particular reason.
30. Take dance lessons.
31. Act in a play.
32. Climb a mountain. (Okay – not really. How about a large “hill?”)
33. Ride in a helicopter.
34. Stand on the Great Wall of China.
35. Master the art of lucid dreaming.
36. Break out the ol’ flute and start consistently playing again.
37. Read “Anna Karenina” ALL the way through – no skipping the boring parts.
38. Parlay my editing skills into a decent side income.
39. Spend New Year’s Eve in Times Square
40. Try caviar. (I’ve had the opportunity; I just always say no.)
41. Climb the steps of a Mayan or Aztec pyramid. (Without the evisceration, please - a la “The Ruins.”)
42. Go on a safari.
43. Get a master’s degree.
44. Attend a film festival – Sundance, Tribeca, Telluride, etc.
45. See a play on Broadway.
Some are easy, some are hard - ALL are truly things I would like to accomplish. I found this list diffcult to make, actually. I think it's because I treated it like a promise to myself; I fully intend to at least try to make every one of these happen in the next 10 years and five months. I encourage everyone to try a similar exercise, you might be surprised at what you want to do.
Oh, and I know that most of the goals are self-oriented and involve indulgence. *shrug* What can I say? I'm a Taurus.
