This isn’t a bucket list. These aren’t things I need to cross off before I die. Will I ever accomplish everything here? Probably not, but that’s not the goal. This list exists simply as a collection of things I would like to do in my lifetime. If writing them down helps me focus, and in turn helps me achieve some of them, the list has served its purpose.
A life list should never make you feel guilty for not accomplishing something! It should serve as a compass, opening you up to experiences that you may have discounted otherwise. I started this list in 2010, inspired by Maggie. My hope is that by sharing this publicly, I will hold myself accountable and achieve more than I would otherwise. I tend to do well with public lists.
I come back and edit this post as I cross things off, and I fully expect this list to change as time goes on.
Experiences
- Live in another city for a year (San Francisco?)
- Take an extended vacation
- Host a traditional Thanksgiving dinner
- Shake the President’s hand
Go sightseeing on a Vespa/scooterTeach a craft project to a group- Karaoke in front of a crowd
- Attend a costume party in a costume I’ve made myself
- Organize a big event
- Surprise someone in a big way
Keep a house plant alive for at least a year- Grow tomatoes from seed
- Try fencing, complete with the proper gear
Run in a 5K- Be completely debt-free (mortgage included)
- Help build a home for charity
- Take belly dancing lessons
Sights
- Look out over Paris
Cross the Brooklyn BridgeCross the Golden Gate BridgeVisit The Farnsworth House (Mies van der Rohe)- Visit the Robie House, Taliesin East, Fallingwater, and
revisit Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio here in Oak Park Take the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s River Cruise- Take the kids to The House on the Rock (it’s bizarre)
- Step out on the ledge of the Willis Tower Skydeck
Cross the Canadian border, eh- Visit Brunelleschi’s dome
- Visit Japan when it’s pink with cherry blossoms
- Have a cheesy photo taken of me holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Just Plain Fun
Make a dollhouse for Eleanor- Finish a paint-by-numbers painting
Wear a ridiculous hat to an event- Dress up with friends for a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
- Experience weightlessness
- Beat the classic Super Mario Bros. game
- Learn how to solve a Rubik’s cube
Wear a sequined dress to a party- Have the Thriller dance in my repertoire
Family
Have another baby- And another
Have a completely natural labor and childbirth- Cart the kids around town in a cargo bike
- Go roller skating with Eleanor and August
Have an adorable family photo taken- Have a new adorable family photo taken (the family has expanded since the last one)
- Celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary
- Read Charlotte’s Web with Eleanor and August
Home
- Paint every room in my house
Paint all of the trim in our houseLive in a house with a lovely entryway- Gut an old fixer-upper house and completely remodel it
- Make a fairy garden for the kids
- Have a library with a rolling ladder
Style
- Only wear lovely undergarments
- Ruthlessly edit my closet down to only my favorite things
Find my perfect shade of lipstick- Sew a dress for myself that I would actually wear
- Wear perfume regularly again
Skills
- Identify twenty constellations
Learn how to use my camera in manual mode- Earn a belt in a martial art
- Perfect my turn stop on skates
- Play the ukulele
- Learn to swim
- Read 100 classics
Professional / Career
- Publish a book
Be a keynote speaker- Have a monthly column in a magazine
- Start a charitable creative movement (like a chain letter but more fulfilling)
- Do/create something worthy of being nominated as a MacArthur Fellow
Meet Martha StewartMeet Jonathan AdlerRedesign Making it Lovely- Sell my designs through a nationwide store
- Art direct a photo shoot
- Name paint colors
- Design wallpaper
- Judge a design competition
- Create a proper portfolio for myself
- Decorate someone else’s home from top to bottom
Make enough money to support my family- Make an appearance in five forms of media (
book,magazine,television, radio,internet) - Have my home featured in a Domino-like magazine or book
Projects
- Take a photo every day for a year
- Start a family tradition
- Choose a good cookbook and cook every recipe in it
- Give only handmade gifts for a year