What do YOU want to do before you die? There are no rules for how many things you need to list.
As for me ...
- Go white-water rafting - finally.
- Spend New Year's Eve in Time's Square. No, really. Just to say I've done it.
- Introduce Scott to my brothers as my partner, and have him be welcome in their homes.
- Learn a foreign language, to the point of being able to converse in it. French would be cool. I'm currently fascinated by the idea of learning Hebrew.
- Learn to swim - well. I knew how when I was in high school, but haven't REALLY swam since then. I'd love to have at least a lap pool someday. It's such an incredible workout.
- Be someone's godfather, and be good at it.
- Go to Rio de Janeiro, and see the statue of Jesus at Corcavado.
- Go to the Picasso museum in Paris (the last time I was in Paris, all the museums were closed due to a strike).
- Go to the top of the Empire State Building.
- Visit Japan.
- Go to Christmas Eve services at St. Mark's Cathedral.
- Perform a solo clarinet recital again.
- Marry Scott.
- Take a drawing class.
- See the houses that my parents grew up in.
- Spend a summer vacation at a beach house in Long Beach, North Carolina ... again.
- Go to the Hebrides, stand on a cliff overlooking a grey, windy, pounding surf, and recite the poem "Western wind, when wilt thou blow? The small rain down can rain. Christ, if my love were in my arms, and I in my bed again!"
- Have the guts to actually hike all the way up to the top of Silver Falls with Scott, without looking like I'm going to hurl.
- Teach a child something they will always remember.
- Give someone something that they desperately need, without them knowing who gave it to them.
- Learn how to tie a bow tie.
- Buy a vacation house.
- Experience at least one more White Christmas.
- Get that tattoo I've been planning on for 15 years.
- Spend one afternoon a week in a library, reading everything I can get my hands on.
- Throw the meanest cocktail/dinner party ever for all of our friends, all done by me.
- Meet Garrison Keillor.
- Learn tai chi to the point I can practice it daily on my own.
- Play Santa for a kid's Christmas party. (Yeah, need to gain a little weight).
- Believe that I'm just fine being exactly who I am, with no adjustments.
I could sit here and think of 300 more things, but that's all for now kids.
14 comments:
Admirable list to say the least...however speaking as some one who will be 42 in December, 40 is no reason to go all morbid on us !!! I'm just sayin'
scottk - Really, I wasn't being morbid, although it sounded that way. I was just thinking that I'm coming up to a milestone, and it's kinda cool to think about what kinds of things I want to do still in my life. I wouldn't have thought of the same things 10 years ago.
I'll revise this when I turn 50. :)
Great list! I can say I have done at least 8 things on your list and would love to do 8 more in my lifetime.
OK, I can seriously discourage the white water rafting. Speaking from experience. I did it once and thought I wouldn't make it out of the river alive. (this is no exaggeration, I really thought I was going to die right there in the Truckee River.)
As for #3- Have you ever introduced Scott to your brothers, and how did you do it then?
AS for #23- You're welcome here anytime!
I definitely see a few of my wishes in your list. In regards to #15, I saw MY childhood home and couldn't believe how small my bedroom was. #23 would be nice, especially if I don't see any Xmas decorations until AFTER T-giving.
Matt...
I'm with SCOTT. My mom has tried to get me to go white water rafting for years... but seriously... who wants to be cold and wet?
I've only done 3 things on that list.
The Tattoo I think is next for me... I actually went to a shop and spoke to an artist about it!
All I can say is, "You'd better stick around for a while. That's not a short list."
I've did #24 for my 30th Birthday with my two best friends on a trip to TN - best part is that my tattoo artist was named 'Cornbread' and he was 18. Makes the rest of my list kinda tame. Except for #29; have done that for the past 4 years and wouldn't trade it for the world. BEST!
Wow, awesome list. I've done about 13 of those things... But speaking from experience, you do NOT want to spend New Years in Times Square. It looks like fun, but it an awful clusterfuck of angry and miserable tourists and people who planned on spending New Years drunk but pissed that they can't get alcohol anywhere within the gated areas. It's one big line that leads nowhere... and 15 minutes after New Years, they start kicking you out... then it's madness trying to get ANYWHERE cuz traffic is snarled, all the area bars are packed with $50 cover charges, and drunk people puking in every available doorway. Not fun. At. All.
Well Rey, THAT took all the fun out of it!!! :)
I'd still do it, just with different expectations.
Thanks for the insights, cuz. Did your mom have a photo album of where she grew up? I think my dad said at one time that he had one and she had one. I can't remember who made it for them. I haven't seen it in years.
If you want a tatoo, come home and I'll have Jen take you to "Spider." The guy is good! Needs to be booked in advance, though. ;-)
What a great list....very admirable. You should be proud of the ability to even compose it. Keep working hard at it.
I really like your list. If you want to keep track of it my friends run a buncha websites here to help! Check out 43things.com. I don't mean to sound like an ad but it's perfect for this and they are cool local guys running a change-the-world website.
A lot of those could be satisfied by merely visiting NYC.
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