list

I never saw the movie “Bucketlist” – and in all honesty, I really have no desire to see it. But I can’t say that I’m not a fan of the concept – creating a list of all the things you want to do before you die. Over the years, I’ve created numerous lists such as these, and over time, they’ve changed quite a bit. There are a few items that have survived over the years, but as I’ve got older and as I’ve matured, my interests have shifted, and along with that, my list has also shifted. As I accomplished some of the items on my list, they've been removed. And as I have gained new interests, they were added to the list. But I’ll be honest, I haven’t revisited the “list” in a long time…

I figure now is as good a time as any to do that.

In about a month and a half, I will be doing something I’ve always wanted to do – go to Africa. I am so excited to be able to experience this, and it got me thinking about all of the other things that I want to do. And the past few months have been filled with a lot of “what’s next?” questions. I feel as though right now, I have absolutely NO IDEA what’s next in life. That is somewhat exhilarating, but also absolutely terrifying. But maybe putting these ideas down on paper – or in the blogosphere – will help me actually start thinking about them, and actually start DOING some of them. And maybe, as I start to do these things, I’ll have a little more clarity on the “what’s next?” And if not, at least I enjoyed the ride, right?

I’ll warn you – some of the items on my list are silly, and you may wonder why in the world it’s important to me. Some of them are very serious, and could be really difficult/tricky to do. And some of the things listed here are very very near to my heart, and I know that if I reach the end of my life without ever having experienced them, I will be quite sad.

So without further ado, and in no particular order, here is “the list”:
1. Travel to Africa (soon to be crossed off the list!)
2. Write & illustrate a children’s book (even if it doesn’t get published)
3. Create an animated short film or a documentary
4. Learn to sew my own clothes
5. Be a part of a “Compton Initiative” wall mural (Some day, Sara! Some day!)
6. Travel to India
7. Live in a different country for at least a year
8. Memorize an entire book of the Bible (Deutoronomy? Too ambitious?)
9. Climb/hike up a mountain (not sure which one or how high)
10. Learn to play violin
11. Be a “parent” of sorts (foster parent, adoptive parent, or orphanage mom)
12. Do something risky for a cause / participate in some sort of “civil protest”
13. Write one letter every day for a year
14. Read 1 book a month for a year (What can I say – I’m a slow reader!)
15. Backpack across Europe – staying in hostels, walking/take train everywhere
16. Learn to speak fluently in a foreign language
17. Work in an orphanage for at least 6 months, if not longer
18. Create and maintain a garden and/or participate in a “community garden”
19. Learn how to cook REALLY REALLY well (all healthy stuff!)
20. Learn to surf
21. Get a meaningful tattoo (maybe something in Hebrew on my wrist)
22. Learn to love running (got a lot to work through for this)
23. Help build a Habitat for Humanity House (or two, or three, or four…)
24. Ride an elephant! (Elephants are my favorite!)
25. Have an article published in Paste magazine (oh how I love music!)
26. Make sure to do sidewalk chalk drawings at least once every summer
27. Learn how to play the guitar well (yes, even bar chords – SO HARD FOR ME!)
28. Learn how to dance (don’t laugh at me)
29. Learn how to paint (I paint now, but don’t know much about painting)
30. Visit the Holy Land… walk where Jesus walked

That’s a lot of stuff, and I’m already 30 years into my life… Not sure if I’ll accomplish all of these, but I believe it will be fun trying. I could have kept going, but I think 30 is good for now. 30 just seems like a good number all around.

Here’s to bucket lists…