I often read about Bucket Lists (a list of things to do before you “kick the bucket“), and I had created my own Life List in my 20’s for all the things I’d like to do before I die. I made a long list of 101 things to do before I die, including things like go to Egypt, kiss a dolphin, run in a marathon, dye my hair red, learn to knit, and buy my own place. I thought it would take a lifetime to do it all, but evidently, committing your To Do list to paper makes you focus on it more makes it more likely to happen. Call it the Secret, the Law of Attraction, whatever- but everything on my Life List got done within two years.
So I decided to come up with a list of 35 things I’d love to do before 35. I had it written down, but it’s more fun to share it. I’ve done a few things already since creating it after my son was born- as a married woman and mom, it takes longer to get it all done, but I’m motivated, especially now that I’m sharing it. So here it is:
Penelope’s New Bucket List!
1. Ride in a hot air balloon
2. Join the Polar Bear Club (but just once)
3. Make a divine souffle
4. Being very involved in a charity I’m passionate about
5. Sing karaoke in public (*cringe*- this one terrifies me! But I want to face the fear)
6. Eat lobster in Maine.
7. Wear a t-shirt for a day that says “This is what a Republican looks like” (inspired by Ashley Judd)
8. Do a perfect split
9. Take a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park at night
10. Dedicate a day to doing random acts of kindness for strangers…at least one each hour.
11. Learn to do a spin while ice skating
12. Be on a game show (don’t know how that can happen, but it just occurred to me that this would be super fun!)
13. Go to Hawaii
14. Drive around for a day in a mercedes convertible and a Jeep Wrangler- with no doors!
15. Start and maintain a window garden (with herbs that I use for cooking- especially basil, yummy)
16. Go to Times Square on New Year’s (I’ve lived in NYC my whole life and never did this)
17. Have a second baby
18. Go skinny dipping with my husband (not in public!)
19. Learn fluent Greek
20. Learn to use a gun (my husband thinks this is a great idea, since he has one for work)
21. Get my pre-pregnancy figure back!
22. Have a star named after me
23. Go to a BlogHer convention
24. Give away 1/4 of my wordly belongings
25. Wear a beautiful, authentic sari
26. Go to Australia, Ireland, Texas
27. Audition for a movie role
28. Join a Jane Austen book club
29. Host Thanksgiving dinner!
30. Buy my dad a new car for his retirement
31. Buy and bury a time capsule for each of my children from the year they were born
32. Buy a new home
33. Go on a five day fast
34. Make delicious home-made bread like my mom does
35. Go skydiving- my husband doesn’t like this one, he said he forbids me 🙂
Have you ever thought of what you’d love to put on your Life List? How about taking a cruise, learning a new language, sewing a complete outfit, learning to ride a motorcycle, volunteering with the blind, winning a poetry contest, learning CPR, eating Russian food in Russia? Come up with a list that you can refer to often, until your dreams happen. Being focused and always aware of what you want to do makes opportunities seem to just arise!
…and my lifelong goals for my actual LIFE List (super OPTIMISTIC and HOPEFUL):
1 Live to be 120
2 Go on an African safari
3 Travel into space
4 Star in a movie
5 Start a scholarship fund
6 Live in an underwater community
7 Visit the Holy Lands
I want to do some of those things. Especially the hot air balloon ride and skydiving.
WOW – Good for you for accomplishing so much! If only everyone took this approach. I'm going to start working on my list right NOW! I'll post on my blog and share when I'm done. Thanks for the inspiration!!!
http://binspiredmama.blogspot.com
Wowowow…very interesting aspirations! Now I'm inspired, but the task of coming up with that many things is a bit daunting! Hmmm…maybe I'll start with ten…and maybe a few more will occur to me, then a few more….Maybe my first goal will just be to come up with thirty things I want to do! 🙂
Good for you! Have to tell you, though, I laughed out loud at a few of these. They're so specific! AND…you might drop a hint around your birthday…you can actually pay to have a star named after you! Google it! 😉
Thanks for sharing your list and inspiring me!
I was thinking about doing this just last week! Great list- I hope you get to do all of them! 🙂
I’ll go sky diving with you!
Oh the Hot Air Balloon ride is on my bucket list too – I don’t have a lot most of them have to do with traveling. I’d love to go to New Zealand.
You are ambitious and full of adventure! I love your list! I’ve actually done a few things on there, and I’m pretty tame.
wow that’s a long list and some of it is super abmitious. since I’m only 1 year and a couple months from 35 I don’t think I’ll be doing too much momentous by then. (I WILL be going to my first blogher by 35 thougH)
I can send you a book written by a Jane Austen fan. Would that help? It was pretty good too!
Ooh, what kind of book?? Austenesque?
Here is my review: . I don’t know if it’s Austenesque – I had no idea that there was a Jane Austen fan club and that she had a really huge following. Email me your address and I’ll put it in the mail this weekend.
Monique
very cool that you accomplished so many things!
That’s awesome you completed your 20s bucket list so quickly – I need to do one of these! I love all of your ideas! I tried Googling the pic of Ashley Judd and the Republican thing and couldn’t find the pic – perhaps I need to Google it harder because this sounds awesome! And it’s too cute you clumped Texas in with Ireland and Australia (the last two I’d love to visit) and you know I love Texas! Visiting NYC is on my bucket list for sure!
Great list! I have a 101 in 101 list also – I’m almost halfway through.
Actually, Ashley Judd famously wore a tee saying “This is what a feminist looks like” and I was inspired, but not for feminism- I always wanted one for a Republican….I don’t think she’s conservative, lol! She wanted to make a point that not all feminists are butch, and I hate the way conservatives are portrayed by the media, so it would be awesome for people to do the same with that. Moms, professionals, educated people, moral people, attractive people, respectable people are republicans, not what the media portrays.
Ohhhh, great list!! I could NEVER go skydiving though, sooo scary! But the Hot Air Balloon, yes!!! I too, would love to get time capsules for my kids, I was actually going to look into that tomorrow, thanks for the reminder 🙂
I just saw this…I would love to go skydiving together 🙂 I’ll be less afraid, lol!