Apparently, I am always talking about all the things that I want to do, but never do them. At least that is what my sister thinks. I tried to explain that the reality is that I have so many things that I want to do that I am forced to pick and choose since there is simply not enough time to do them all, but I do accomplish quite a few of them.
My sister immediately pointed out that last year was supposed to be a year of travel (I wanted to travel to different places and spend a month in each country, and she wanted me to do so because then she could come to visit me). It started off on the right foot when I went to Mexico for a month. Unfortunately, that was the only international travel I did last year because of other projects that came up.
My sister insisted that this is what always when I say I am going to do things and that it would be impossible for me to make a list of things I wanted to do and complete it within a year. After some discussion, we decided that the list should include 45 things that I have mentioned over the past years as wanting to do (since my 45th birthday is coming up in a few days), but for one reason or another have never have completed.
Thus the latest challenge was born. While the following is my list of 45 things I want do do in the next year (October 1, 2010 – September 30 2011) it probably would be worthwhile for one and all to make their own list. I am pretty confident that I will be able to do a majority of these in the next year, but getting them all done will certainly be a challenge, especially with all the other work and projects I have going on. Here is what I hope to do in the next year:
1. Visit Carlsbad Caverns
2. Attend a live concert of one of the artists I have never seen (Technically Completed)
3. Visit a new National Park
4. Swim with turtles
5. Run a half marathon (Technically Completed)
6. Do a multiple day bike ride
7. Take a train ride
8. River raft
9. Give $25,000 worth of food to food banks
10. Hike Paria Canyon
11. Take the glass elevator ride at the Westin hotel San Francisco (Completed)
12. Take a spur of the moment road trip
13. Rent a place for a few months where friends can come and visit
14. Visit New Orleans
15. Volunteer to do something I have never done before (completed)
16. Learn how to clean wildlife in the event of another oil spill
17. Learn to paddle board
18. Skydive
19. Visit the military aircraft graveyard
20. Sea kayak
21. Take surfing lessons
22. Start a non profit organization
23. Help Habitat for Humanity build a house
24. Send a postcard a week to my nieces (week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 sent)
25. Hike in Yosemite
26. Hike in Bryce Canyon
27. Write a book
28. Travel to a foreign country
29. Snowboard
30. Search for diamonds
31. See Defestation in San Francisco (Completed)
32. Donate blood
33. See penguins in the wild
34. Compete in a triathlon
35. Climb a volcano
36. Ride a zip line
37. Geocache
38. See the northern lights
39. Try zorbing
40. Create pay it forward cards that I will hand out
41. Travel the pacific coast highway
42. Search for fossils
43. Visit Crater Lake
44. Snowmobile
45. Volunteer to do a clean-up
While each of these individually shouldn’t be a problem completing, getting them all done in the next year will definitely be a challenge, especially with my already busy schedule. Please feel free to ask any questions about the list I have created. There will definitely be some adventures along the way and I hope that you enjoy the journey with me…