A few months ago, I was vlogging about what my life list includes and I very frankly said, I don’t have a life list.
I was pretty clear that if I kicked the bucket tomorrow, I’d have no regrets. And it’s true.
I’ve lived a pretty fulfilling life. I’ve had opportunities that I never would have dreamed of having as a little girl growing up in rural southern Maryland. I’ve traveled all over the world. Hung out with celebrities. Lobbied on Capitol Hill. Appeared on TV. Became a mom! What more could you possibly want or need?
And yet, I keep remembering the quote my older brother used in his yearbook profile for his senior year of high school.
“A man’s reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what’s a heaven for?”- from the poem “Andrea del Sarto” by Robert Browning
How did my brother get to be so wise?
We all need goals and aspirations. Something to strive for even if it’s unobtainable.
I often seem to be a sounding board for people, especially when they’re depressed. I often tell them that no matter what their situation, financially, personally, mentally, whatever, that it always helps to have your sites set on something. Something to work towards and something to certainly look forward to.
And with that, I decided to take my own advice. I decided to really think about those things that have been passing fancies that I might really actually like to do. So I finally came up with My Mighty Life Bucket List, inspired mostly by Maggie Mason at Mighty Girl and her related site, Go Mighty.
Without further adieu, my list (so far):
1. Learn to play a ukelele.
2. Find and return a lost pet.
3. Go to Japan.
4. See Yes in concert (only counts if Jon Anderson is at the helm).
5. Build a birdhouse.
6. Make a mosaic.
7. Learn to crochet a scarf.
8. Learn to knit a scarf.
9. Run a 5k.
10. Walk to the top of the Washington Monument.
11. Walk to the top of the Statue of Liberty (the crown and the torch).
12. While I’m at it, walk to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
13. Take a soak in the volcanic springs of Iceland.
14. Drink a glass (bottle?) of Dom Perignon.
15. Do a full yoga inversion.
16. Travel to Antarctica.
17. Go whale watching.
18. Speak at a blogging conference. (Come see me in Spetember!!!)
19. Practice yoga in Bali.
20. Hold a political office.
After I got to 20, I had to really start digging deep. But I felt like my list should be longer.
21. Attend a movie premiere in Hollywood.
22. Drive across the United States at a leisurely pace with no particular plan.
Todd Lappin via Compfight
23. Take an Alaskan cruise and train ride through Alaska on a glass-topped train.
24. Have a full body mud wrap.
25. Track down my 4th grade teacher, Miss Hoffman.
26. Catch some fireflies with my son.
27. Attend a surprise party FOR ME!
28. Stay in the Presidential Suite in a hotel.
29. Plant my very own garden.
30. Host my own show (TV, web, whatever).
31. Visit the White House.
32. Meet Meryl Streep.
33. Feel comfortable enough with my body to wear a bikini.
34. Have a professional photo shoot.
35. Visit the childhood home of my grandmother in the Bronx.
36. See Mount Rushmore in person.
37. Spend a second honeymoon with my husband in Sonoma.
38. Digitize and organize all my childhood photos.
39. Watch Citizen Kane.
40. Be a bridesmaid or matron of honor in someone’s wedding.
Sean Molin via Compfight
41. Have a two hour body massage (do they offer them?)
42. Fly overseas in business or first class.
43. Cook a surprise meal and drop it off for 5 of my friends.
44. Teach my son how to ride a bike.
45. Drive an exotic sportscar.
46. Volunteer for an overseas mission.
47. Schedule cataract surgery for my dog so she can see again.
48. Have an outdoor fancy lady garden party.
49. Attend high tea in an upscale tea room (Russian Tea Room, anyone?)
50. Find an amazing fossil in Calvert Cliffs.
I could probably keep going but I might be reaching, especially since the last thirty I came up with on the fly.
I think I’m going to find a way to keep this list front and center. Maybe even post on Go Mighty. But I think it’s time I start working towards some of these aspirations.
And as for the antithesis of my life list? Well, it’s almost easier for me to make a list of the things I definitely don’t want to do. Of that, I’m sure.
My Anti-Bucket list includes:

- Skydiving (no way, no how, no thank you)
- Bungee jumping (see above, only worse)
- Climbing Mount Everest (I’m content to watch documentaries and read books. No edema for me, thank you very much)
- Traveling to the Middle East
- Go swimming or diving with sharks
- Ski down anything other than a bunny hill
I think you get the idea. I’m not a risk taker. But instead of focusing on the things I know I don’t want to do, I’m going to focus on the things that still exceed my grasp.
What’s on your list?
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