Thursday, January 1, 2009

A List of 100 Things: Which ones have you done? Which do you most want to do in 2009



As this new year starts, I wonder how many new and exciting experiences will come my way in 2009. Given that the first day of the year featured a trip to McDonald's indoor playground and a work out at the gym, the thought crossed my mind: Is that all there is?

Luckily, I remembered seeing this list of 100 Things in China's Brilliant Spectrum Child blog. The idea is to mark those things that you have done. For bloggers, it's a way for readers to learn a bit more about you; and for everyone it's well---fun. Below, I have marked those that I have done in blue, and I welcome you to try. Just copy into Word and reformat to black, and then mark those things that you have done.

I have…
1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (and me a native New Yorker)
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (ah, the things you do when you are 22 and the New York City party scene beckons)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Skied a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
5. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (Guitar Hero counts!)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (documentary)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (maybe....he said he was Charlie Daniels but I'll never be 100% sure)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100Ridden an elephant

This exercise reassured me that I have got quite a few experiences under my belt, and it also got me to think about what I'd like to try to do in 2009. So, I picked a few things I'd like to add to my list of things in 2010:

The one thing I'd most like to do in 2009 but likely won’t, although you never know:
Visit the birthplace of my ancestors
Three things I’d like to do before 2010 that are more doable:
Join a book club
Get flowers for no reason
Play in the mud

What items top your "want to do" list for 2009? I'm curious to know!



5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That list is daunting! I'm not sure if I tried that, whether I'd be encouraged by how many things I'd done or dismayed about the chances to ever get the ones I hadn't done accomplished! I'm going to have to think about this a few days, see if I'm brave enough to lay it out there. But congrats on all your great accomplishments!

Anonymous said...

I like that list. I'm going to follow suit...if I don't get distracted. Top of my list, as boring as it is...get some sleep and make my kids do the same!

Anonymous said...

Tops on my list is a women only weekend for other mothers on this journey at my home near Redmond....any takers?

Anonymous said...

Guess being anonymous won't get any takers huh? duh? this is Mona....and I guess I have forgotten my password so my name shows up. sigh...too many passwords... too little time....

Carol said...

A week-end away always sounds great!