Thursday, February 6, 2014

The List - The Un-Bucket List

I've never really sat down and made a "bucket" list, a list of things to do before you die. I don't know when that will be and I don't know how long I'll be active enough to get around. I'm shooting more for doing these things before I'm 65 - if they're all checked off by then, and I'm still in good shape, I can always add more, right? So let's just call it a life list instead.

1. See whales - this is, seriously, the number one thing I want to do. I have no idea why.

2. Visit Scotland, Denmark, England - the countries of my heritage - and Italy, just because.

3. Become conversant in Spanish - I took five years of it in school and it's almost all gone now. I want to learn another language; I think Spanish will come back to me once I get started.

4. Learn to knit - my mother-in-law tried to teach me but as soon as she'd leave, I'd forget everything I learned. I want to be able to make things for my someday grand babies!

5. Take some computer classes - I don't want to be able to build a computer or write software, but I would love to understand them better, to be able to really make them do what I want them to do.

6. Get my family all back to Breckenridge, Colorado for a vacation - we used to go every year and now the kids can't remember it. Maybe this year? I love it there in the summer!

7. Get a tattoo - sorry, Mom, but this is something I've been wanting to do for a long time. When I do it, Miss H and I will get matching tattoos to honor the fight against cancers our family has fought.

8. Reteach myself to play the piano the way I used to be able to - I miss using music to express my emotions.

9. Retrace our honeymoon trip - Philly, Boston, Rhode Island, New York City. We packed so much into two weeks - at our age, we may have to stretch it to three weeks!

10. Learn to make slipcovers - I've wanted to do this for years.

What would you put on your life list?

13 comments:

  1. Your list seems very doable -- good luck. The one thing I want more than anything, is to outlive my parents and siblings. Sadly they all died between the ages of 62 and 72. I'd like to see my grandchildren reach adulthood as least and great grandchildren would be a bonus.

    Sorry if this is a duplicate comment --something weird just happened here:(

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like your new header and extra pages. You've been busy as ever and I hope you get to do some of the things on your wish list. That tattoo sounds like an interesting one for a good cause. More travel to mainland Europe would definitely be on my list.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Disney, Italy, Hawaii again. Get a good camera and learn to use it, get a text tattoo. Spend some time alone, by which I mean days , and in a well stocked cabin or hotel or beach.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's a great list! The only thing on mine at the moment is to travel all over
    Europe.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lisa, I love your Life List! Its so varied and filled with great ideas :) I've been trying to write my own list for ages now, but always seem to come up short with ideas. I call it my 40 before 40 list and so far it has nearly 40 things on it, but I haven't really crossed out that many of them. Going to Spain is on there - I would love to go to the Dali museum and see Gaudi's architecture. And, I would love to write a recipe book for the family filled with all our family's recipes ( that way we don't forge the foods our grandmothers and mothers made us). Cripes, reading your list and thinking about mine actually makes me want to start adding more things to my list :) Thanks for this inspiring post!! Good luck crossing everything off of it!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is a great list, Lisa. I like the idea of a Life List much more than a Bucket List, although I know it's really the same thing. Anyway, I would really like to visit New York City at some point in my life. I've been to upstate New York, but never New York City. I also want to go to Washington D.C. That's as far as I've gotten. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love the idea of a pre-65 list. I think some similar things would be on my list - learning to knit though I want to learn how to sew too. Visiting heritage countries though mine are Ireland, Wales and England. I'd love to go back to where we had our honeymoon and have a little longer there. Great list!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Learn to knit was on my bucket list and I just knocked it out last year. I now knit more than I read and I love love love it a lot!

    Also, have to watch whales some day!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Awesome list!! My dad gave me his old piano last year and I keep telling myself I'll teach myself how to play it again. Right now Elle is the only one who bangs on it. And neat that you have Danish heritage--so do I! My mom traveled there with her sisters and mom two summers ago and had a wonderful time. Maybe a good sisters trip for you! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Very interesting list, Lisa. Going to England--where my family is from--was incredibly wonderful--and I'm going to Italy in the fall...because! :)

    The whales isn't necessarily on my list--I've sort of seen some off in the distance once but never up close. I'm sure that would be very moving.

    Learning a language is high on the list for me too--I've been faking learning Italian for awhile now--enough to get myself in trouble, I think.

    I learned to knit at a very young age--it's like riding a bike--once you learn you never forget. Knit shops tend to have very patient, nurturing people who work there--if you can find one, they usually welcome drop-ins who need help.

    Retrace your honeymoon sounds wonderful--we retraced our first camping trip (from 30 years ago) to Yellowstone this fall, and it was so much fun.

    Enjoy checking things off your list, and adding to it!



    ReplyDelete
  11. I have one of those milestone birthdays coming next month--I probably should have a list like this by then, huh? I've been dodging the idea for a while, and I'm not sure why.

    I'm using the Duolingo app to start learning Italian--if you're looking for an enjoyable (and free!) refresher for Spanish, you might give it a try. I think I'll be doing that next.

    ReplyDelete
  12. If you're looking for a fun (and free!) Spanish refresher, you might try the Duolingo app--I'm using it to learn basic Italian right now, and am planning to work on Spanish with it next.

    I've been dodging a list like this for myself, but I have a milestone birthday coming soon, so maybe it's time to embrace it instead!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Knitting is on my list as well. There is a place by me that has classes but I've not been able to attend them since they conflicted with show rehearsals but now... maybe I can. I would like to leave the country. LOL. Perhaps Rome or Paris but I am very infatuated with Norway. I saw this PBS special on a cruise ship through Norway and it was small, held only about 200 passengers but it was oh so lovely. I would love to go on a cruise like that.

    ReplyDelete