My Bucket List...

The other day, my parents were here for a visit. The kids were talking with my mom about school, and I made a comment about being done for the semester. And then my mom asked me if I had a goal. Now, I’ve been in school for a few (ahem) years, and I’ve changed my mind about what I want to study a couple (ahem) of times. But, for whatever reason, the way she asked kind of ticked me off. So I glanced around the room at my children and said something to the affect of, “No. I have absolutely no goal for my life.” And that was the end of the conversation…

Ironically, though, I have been putting some thought into the kinds of things I want to do with my life lately…

Specifically, I was thinking about whether there is anything I need to do within the next 10 years (before I turn 40) or forfeit the chance to do it at all. Let me make a note here, that I don’t think 40 is old (anymore… when I was a kid, 40 was ancient), but there are probably some things that are better experienced before age 40. Most things, I think, can be enjoyed just as well after age 40; therefore, they were bumped to a different list for when Miah is big enough that I won’t regret missing a few hours… or maybe even days… of her life here and there.

Please… get ready to contain your laughter if you can… but the only thing I could come up with for this “pre-40” list was that I would legitimately like to be cast in a community theater role for a rendition of the High School Musical plays… because I am a dork. If you can stop laughing long enough to read on, I have actually considered purchasing the scripts, myself, and running a production here, because I know enough teenagers (and dorks) that I could probably make it work. If this is going to happen, it needs to be done “pre-40” (unless I want to play “Mrs. Darbis… which I don’t), because I highly doubt that I will be able to pass for a teenager in 10 years. Perhaps you think that I am kidding myself that I could still pass for a teenager now, but I can… and I have… as recently as the last couple of years. I cannot however pass for a skinny teenager… there’s some work to be done there…

Yeah… Wow… “Pre-40” that’s really all that’s “pressing”… and now I’m kinda smirking at myself, too…

What I do want to do with the next ten years is enjoy my family. I want to love my husband and raise my kids. I don’t want to miss anything, because as I have expressed in recent posts; it all goes by way too fast anyway. And you can’t slow it down. But that’s no reason not to enjoy every single minute! With that in mind, the kind of stuff that tops my “pre-40” list includes dancing in the rain… reading all the books I loved as a child, out loud… tickling toes… kissing foreheads… screaming on every roller coaster hill… taking more pictures (and video)… painting little fingernails… and kicking some butt at video games…

I also want to take care of myself, and I’m learning that that’s not selfish! When I do turn 40, I’d like to be able to sit down and pound out a really good list for what I’d like to do in the next 40 years! So I’m pretty determined to start cooking from scratch again… I’ll probably dust off the elliptical within the week… and I actually took the time to give myself a facial and put lotion on my splitting heels, this morning… It’s a start…

When I stop to think about the kinds of things I would really put on a “Bucket List”, most of it involves travel. I’m sure I must have inherited my love of traveling from my Nana, because she traveled pretty much everywhere, and as of yet… well… I haven’t. The most “exotic” place I’ve ever been is Florida, and the most “exquisite” place I’ve ever dined is Cinderella’s Castle (which is probably something that would have made my bucket list before I did it). And it was great! But someday I would like to go to Hawaii… and for that matter I’d like to be able to say I’ve been to all 50 states. In addition, I would love to travel to India… and Israel… and Australia… and Europe. Specifically, I want to ride in a gondola in Italy… really… really… bad… But, ya know… there’s always Epcot…

I guess I’d like to build my “dream house”. The only thing about that is I get pretty wrapped up in the memories that are made in places… so by the time I can afford to build it, I probably won’t want to leave what I have. I am pretty wrapped up in thoughts of remodeling right now, and I’m trying to get things painted and decorated just the way I want them. By the time I’m done, maybe I’ll have my dream house right here…

I’d love to own my own portrait studio…

And publish my book… and write some more…

And record my music… and write some more…

I want to return…

Generally, I never want to find myself in a circumstance in which I’m not helping people on a regular basis. I don’t really care how.

I want to be the person God created me to be.

What else is there?

Now, as I stop to look at this, I am realizing that none of this has anything to do with school… at all. And maybe my list ranks right up there with pathetic from most people’s worldview. But I kinda like it. Perhaps the answer I gave my mom was accurate. I don’t think I have a “goal” anymore. I’m just going to live…

Lisa

"So We Never Got to Paris"
By: Out of the Grey

Young lovers, without much
Save each other, isn't that enough
Paint the future, a little day by day
Making plans with no regard for what might come our way

This cup fills up so quickly
There's so much on our plate
Between the living and the learning
Some things must wait

So we never got to Paris
And found the cafe of our dreams
But our table holds a whole world of memories
No, we never went to Venice
And strolled the streets alone
But we built our worlds together and we got the best of both

There's still wonder in our eyes
But we see each other in a different light
Yet the future isn't always clear
Now the question is where do we go from here

This cup fills up so quickly
There's too much on our plate
Between the living and the dying
Some things must wait

So we never got to Paris
And found the cafe of our dreams
But our table holds a whole world of memories
No, we never went to Venice
And strolled the streets alone
But we built our worlds together and we got the best of both

This cup fills up so quickly
There's too much on our plate
Between the living and the dying
Some things must wait

So we never got to Paris
And found the cafe of our dreams
But our table holds a whole wide world of memories
No, we never went to Venice
And strolled the streets alone
But we built our worlds together and we got the best

We may never get to Paris
And find the cafe of our dreams
But our table still will hold a world of memories
If we never get to Venice
And roam the streets alone
We'll hold our worlds together and we'll keep the best of both