happy at home

BEFORE I DIE...With that new movie, the Bucket List, that is out now, I have been thinking about things that I would like to do before I die. Most of the things I want to do or try are not grand ideas...just small little things that I think I would enjoy.

I will never forget a phone call I had with my mother when I was in college. She called and told me about a list she had made when she was twenty. A list of things she wanted to accomplish before she died. That day, she told me she had just marked the last item off her list. She was 44. That is one of the things I have always admired about my mom. She doesn't just think and dream about the things she wants to do. She doesn't make excuses. She goes for it. She makes it happen. She did every single thing on her list. And then she made a new list. Since finishing up her first list she has taken a writing course. She plans to write her own book, Hiding in my Hammock. She took up photography. She loved it and has gone on to do photo shoots, has been written up in a local magazine, has won several contests and awards, and now is part owner in a gallery downtown where she sells and showcases her work. She has discovered and developed a whole new creative side of herself she didn't even know existed.

I want to be more that way. I am more easily defeated than my mother. I sometimes get bogged down in the DAILINESS of life. But there is much beauty in the dailiness. I don't want to diminish the importance of that. I want to always love my life where I am right now, and to make it as wonderful as it can possibly be. I really feel like I had huge growth in this area in 2007. Learning to really embrace the dailiness and make it beautiful. Cloth diapers, hanging laundry on the line, fresh fruits and vegetables, reducing clutter, etc. all really added a tangible quality to the quotidian events of my day.
At the same time, I want to have aspirations...dreams that rise above the daily demands of life. My "to do before I die" list is not very grand. As I think about it more, I am sure my list will grow. But here it is for starters. Will you share a few of yours with me?

-Finish my college degree: I want to switch from Business Management (I am lacking about 30 hours to graduate) to Culinary Arts, which is what I have really always wanted to do. Also, I want to take the rest of the Latin courses (I did the first one), even though it won't count towards my major. I really love Latin.

-Pick up piano again: I want to get back to a point where I can really enjoy playing.

-Learn to knit a sweater

-Read through the entire Bible

-Take a road trip. Explore the United States.

-Learn to make a really good cheesecake. And gravy. And a layer cake.

-Revisit Italy

-Run a 5K, then (if I like it), a 12K

*Image from Frank72 on flickr.com