Over the course of my blogging experience, I've seen various people write out their personal to-do lists like "30 before 30" or "100 things to do before I die." I've always wanted to do one of these and so a couple of weeks ago, I started writing one out. My friend
Walking Punchline posted
hers soon after, so I thought I'd follow the
Day Zero format she used. It gives you nearly three years to complete it, which seems like an ample amount of time, no?
While I was perusing the Day Zero website, I saw the link to "
Learning to Love You More"- which I've had on my site for some time now, but hadn't clicked on lately. I've been a big fan of
Miranda July for a few years and the assignments on this site are
fantastic. I urge you to take a look at the list. There are several tasks on there I intend to complete!
But as for my list - here we go...
101 in 1001
1. Take a flight in a hot air balloon
2. Travel to Morocco
3. Learn how to sew
4. Play piano every single day, even if it's just one song
5. Read at least 5 books a year
6. Sing live again
7. Go to a yoga workshop
8. Exhibit my photography
9. Try acupuncture
10. Improve my French and Italian so I can carry on a proper conversation
11. Try pilates
12. Travel to New York
13. Make a cookbook of my favorite family recipes, complete with photos
14. Volunteer somewhere
15. Trust a babysitter and go out on a date with my husband
16. Run a 10k
17. Try craniosacral therapy
18. Interview my grandmother
19. Get all of my photos printed and into albums
20. Take a Photoshop class
21. Skydive
22. Hike to the top of Mt. Charleston
23. Complete that photo project that has been in my head for 5 years
24. Go to Iceland
25. Turn my computer off for an entire week
26. Master making homemade pizza
27. Spend a weekend at a destination spa
28. Update my photography website (in process)
29. Go to Rome
30. Re-read one of my favorite books from my youth
31. Train with a popular food photographer for a day (1/2 bolded-I have to do this twice!)
32. Clean out my closets (1 down)
33. Paint my pantry
34. Plant a children's garden
35. Send flowers anonymously to 3 people I know.
36. Go to yoga every day for one week.
37. Take a photo portrait of each of my friends (1 down)
38. Update both of my children's baby books
39. Visit a museum once a month
40. Support our local theatre and art scene
41. Try rock climbing
42. Take care of that surgery I've been putting off
43. Go camping with my children
44. Learn how to surf
45. Host a dinner party for all of my girlfriends
46. Have a party where all of the guests have to perform
47. Go on a vacation with another family
48. Finally finish the High School Redux cd
49. Take my children ice skating
50. Ski (preferably in the Alps)
51. Swim with dolphins
52. Visit our friends in Australia
53. Go to New Mexico
54. Change the tile in the garden to a mosaic or a wall fountain
55. Bake homemade bread at least once a month
56. Pick up trash every month in my neighborhood and not just on Earth Day
57. Upload all of my music cds to my computer
58. Go cross country skiing on the ski trails behind my parents house
59. Have dad fly me to the Arctic Circle and drop me off for a day of wandering
60. Visit 3 places in Alaska that I've never been
61. Buy at least one painting from an artist friend
62. Set up my photography studio (in process)
63. Make a plant for each of my friends from a cutting off of one of my plants (in process)
64. Devote 15 minutes of undivided attention to both of my children each day
65. Learn one dance move
66. See at least one film a year at the movie theatre (so far, so good)
67. Make a calendar using my photos
68. Drive the Al-Can highway (you can't be Alaskan and not do this once)
69. Donate my photography services to someone or some organization
70. Try not to feel guilty for taking money for my photography (in process)
71. Completely organize my office and keep it that way
72. Continue to minimalize my life
73. Plan at least one art project a week for my children
74. Clean out the garage
75. Buy more polaroid film
76. Make 5 gifts instead of buying them
77. Have someone build my dream dining table
78. Sell our current dining room furniture
79. Finally return to San Diego and let go of the past
80. Sew a skirt
81. Decorate the cabin
82. Buy all of my birthday cards in advance and send them on time (one year down)
83. Try at least 1 new recipe each week (doing pretty well)
84. Set aside time to read my magazines
85. Polish the silver myself (instead of waiting for my mother in-law to visit)
86. Take my children to the ballet
87. Go to at least 2 concerts a year (so far so good!)
88. Learn all of the yogic terms in Sanskrit
89. Meet up with friends more regularly (doing!)
90. PRIVATE PROMISE* (working on)
91. Bicycle to the store once a month
92. Amend our family tree
93. Subscribe to the New York Times
94. Throw a garden party
95. Refinish our driveway
96. Repot our 2 largest plants
97. Start selling my work on Etsy
98. Hike in Zion again
99. Turn my computer off at a certain time every night
100. Practice and promote living with gratitude, compassion, and peace.
101. Accept there's little chance I will finish this in less than 3 yrs and give myself 5 years instead! :)
Start date: January 01, 2009
End date: September 28, 2011 (Or more likely, 2013)
*Items will be bolded as they've been completed*
As you can see, I have a lot to do! #28 is my first priority. And I'm going to need #70 in order to pay for all of these vacations! Either way, I'm really excited to start this series of projects. My next goal is to plan out specific dates and deadlines. So, I do hope you'll understand my need for a blogging break and patiently await my return!
Until then....
Today started out like any other -- with 20 minutes to make a stiff cuppa joe, feed and dress three people, and get one to school in time. Most days, by the time I get back home I'm finally awake and appropriately caffeinated, at which point I like to check my email. Well lo and behold, today I had a very special one waiting for me... one I had to read over and over again to make sure I was actually awake and not still dreaming.
