I’ve Got A Little List
First of all, does anyone get the reference that is the title? This has become something of an inside joke between me and a dear friend, but it’s also a general reference that anyone could get. Just wondering.
Moving right along.
I love making lists. Crossing things off my lists gives such a great feeling of satisfaction! Also, I’m forgetful so lists help me save time and brain cells. While I don’t really like the term ‘bucket list’, I do like the general idea: keeping track of measurable life goals, both large and small. The 101 Things in 1,001 Days lists going around are inspirational, but I find myself wanting something more open-ended.
So this is just The List. It’s not even to 100 things yet (my original list-writing goal), but it will grow and change as I grow and change with life. There are, of course, lists on my list. (I’m ashamed to say this makes me kind of giddy.) The granddaddy of them all is my Best of Film list. I’ll do my best to blog items as I check them off, assuming they are actually blog-worthy.
Oh, and if you have any suggestions of things to add, please share. What are some of the things you’ve always wanted to do? Or have already done? Do you have a list like this? As some of my favorite bloggers would say: spill the list-making beans.
Also, I want to clarify that this list is mainly just for fun. The most important goal in my life that all other goals fall under cannot be measured and checked off in this way. And that goal is to glorify God in all I say and I do (of which I fall short many, many times). Earthly accomplishments will all fade away, and I’m not trying to measure up to anything with this list. I just want to live this life—however much time I’m given—to the fullest.
Okay, I’m stepping off my soapbox now. On to the list!
Items in italics are in progress.
- Pick apples at an orchard.
- Grow out and donate my hair to Locks of Love.
- Attend a performance of A Christmas Carol at Playhouse in the Park.
- Visit Sweden, the country of my ancestors.
- Watch all the movies on my compiled “Best of Film” list. (94/241)
- Pay for someone’s meal behind me at a drive-through window.
- Watch a World Cup soccer game at a local sports bar.
- Host a theme party for no reason (not a holiday, birthday, or special occasion).
- Visit Seattle (and Pike Place Market).
- Meet our new next-door neighbors (and take baked goods).
- Learn to knit and successfully complete three knitting projects. (0/3)
- Take a cooking class.
- Start a compost bin and use it for at least one year.
- Go to a drive-in theater.
- Travel to all 50 U.S. States. (20/50)
- Add a houseplant to each room in our house.
- Print/make a photo journal book of our trip to England.
- Go snorkeling.
- Find a spiritual mentor.
- Visit New York City.
- Ride in a hot air balloon.
- Serve a meal at a soup kitchen/homeless shelter.
- Start a family.
- Visit British Columbia.
- Clean out and organize the basement.
- Attend a dinner theatre.
- Start my own business.
- Explore all the major Cincinnati parks. (4/19)
- Visit a missionary that we support financially.
- Be completely debt free, including our house.
- Make homemade pasta.
- Read all the fiction books I own.
- Stay at Jake’s in Jamaica.
- Buy a big house and use it to shower people with kindness and love.
- Eat fish and chips in England.
- Can food.
- Visit at least 10 other countries. (3/10)
- Travel the Pacific Coast Highway.
- Increase blog traffic.
- Go ice skating at the outdoor rink at Fountain Square.
- Have a Lord of the Rings movie marathon.
- Get a professional massage.
- Eat crepes and drink tea at a cafe in Paris.
- Run a 5k (without walking a single step).
- Visit a castle in Britain.
- Take a canopy (zip line) tour.
- Make fresh salsa with ingredients from my own garden.
- Read every Jane Austen novel. (1/6)
- Visit the Art Institute of Chicago.
- Paint all the trim in my house.
- Attend City Gospel Mission’s Understanding Poverty Workshop.
- Make a kite and fly it.
- Go to a show in the West End.
- Don’t drink any soda for six months.
- Hike the Grand Canyon.
- Try a new type of ethnic food.
- Walk across the Purple People Bridge.
- Host a cookie exchange.
- Visit Boston in the fall.
- Sew something I can wear.
- Go strawberry picking.
Comments are closed.
nice. i need to actually make mine like this.
Another list idea that I hope to remember from something I read…name a blessing each day in November! And be specific…
That’s a good one, Mom!
I keep a journal of my lists. I’ve kept all the projects for my home. It’s fun to go back several years and finally cross things off and to see how God has blessed!
I love lists, but don’t have one like this. You’ve inspired me to do it. Can I put visit Hawaii on it just so I can cross it off?
Blessings!
Well, I put England things on mine so I think Hawaii is fair game for you. 😉
My best friend and I wrote up a 100 things to do list right before college graduation. Someone said to carry it in your graduation hood for luck or something. So we did it. Of course now I don’t really actually know where the list is … but it’s similar to the sort of things you have on yours! 😀
i love lists like this one. i’ve had a mental one for some time, and i’m working through it gradually… but there’s something so lovely and tactile about crossing items off a written list. i might actually have to buckle down and do this at some point.
I had not thought of doing anything like this. I’ll think about it. I like your idea of blogging about the items accomplished.
The first time I saw a LIST was in an outdoor adventure magazine. I think it was referred to as a Life List in that article but I sort of like Bucket List a bit more as I lean more towards irreverence. (No offense intended) I was thrilled reading the article because I had actually all ready done some of things this adventure writer had yet to do! What makes that so amazing is that the only thing I have in common with adventure writers is that I READ about the adventures they actually go on. Since then I have created my own list although I don’t know where it is right now so I started a new one, the first item of which is. . .you’re way ahead of me, huh?. . .is to find the old LIST. Well, best wishes to you as you continue to make notches.
I came upon your blog as I was doing a bit of research to identify a photo I had taken back in ’08 when I was traveling thru the Cotswolds. I did a search on ‘Cotswolds Tolkien’ because I forgot which little village had the door to Moria. Your blog was the first result! After I found my answer, I nosed around on your blog and checked out ‘The List’. Pretty cool.
One more quick thing on lists. Back in 1975, a reference book called The People’s Almanac was published. The most popular chapter was simply called “Lists”. This was not a list of ‘to-dos’ but lists of things, things like “The 9 Breeds of Dog That Bite the Most, 10 Hottest Cities, Famous Left-Handed People, etc. So popular was that chapter, it spawned a book of its own, aptly entitled The Book of Lists. There have been sequels to both The People’s Almanac and The Book of Lists. . .and that’s all I have to say about that. 😀