Monday, September 11, 2006

Favorite Things Monday: The Life List

Favorite Things Monday has been languishing, and today isn't an appropriate day to jumpstart it. The memory of 9/11 pervades the blogosphere, the news, and the lives of co-workers and friends. Celebrating my relatively meaningless household possessions doesn't feel right today.

Plus, I have very mixed reactions to 9/11 and the 9/11 anniversary, none of which I'll divulge here. I'm not interested in hate mail, and since there's no clarity in my own mind, why should I subject anyone else to it?

But, in light of the enormity of this day, saying nothing seems disrespectful too. Thankfully my dear sweet Nina showed me the way with her Life List "things that we'd like to accomplish on our short stay on this planet."

My Actually-Possible Life List:

1. Go to Thailand
2. Study Muay Thai kickboxing again
3. See Little Man grow to adulthood
4. Own a house and a postage stamp urban garden
5. Get an MBA
6. Get a PhD (preferrably in Women's Studies or Gender/Cultural Studies)
7. Pay OFF my debt
8. Learn how to keep myself from getting into debt again
9. Move back to the city
10. Buy a condo in Brookline
11. Be content
12. Find a job that doesn't bore me after 2 years
13. Feel really good about my professional accomplishments
14. Swim naked in the ocean (again)
15. Ride a horse on a deserted beach (again)
16. Bungee jump
17. Sky dive
18. Rock climb
19. Ride in a hot air balloon
20. Get a new tattoo for each decade of my life
21. Knit a Sta*more sweater for myself
22. Make a queen size Matisse-inspired quilt of my own design
23. Visit Ireland frequently
24. Finish my geneaological research in Ireland
25. Drive across/around the U.S.
26. Spend time in San Fransisco
27. Go to the Newport Folk Festival
28. Stay in a fancy hotel
29. Eat at a fancy restaurant
30. Sew some formal outfits with pants instead of dresses/skirts
31. Tone my muscles
32. Learn to blacksmith
33. Learn to spin
34. Buy a spinning wheel

My Ideal-World Life List:

1. Be a full-time artist
2. Convince my Mom, my Bro, and my BFF to move to Massachusetts
3. Convince my family, Wifey's family, my BFF, M.I.&Roo, and Nina+crew to buy a huge farm together and live collectively
4. Convert an old red barn into an art studio and share it with my Mom
5. Grow veges and fruit trees and care for sheep and goats
6. Learn to make goat cheese
7. If I must work full-time, own an ocean-front summer home and stay there all summer

Wanna play along? Let me know if you do.

4 comments:

carrym said...

Ok, I'll play! I'll post my list later today...

Hannah said...

I too am concerned about the image of 9/11--although the reality of the tragedy still makes me fall apart. The enforced "patriotism" makes me uncomfortable. The use of fear to garner political support is disgusting. The limitations on civil liberties as a result of "national security" is frightening. The intolerance for the Muslim world is terrifing. If you have any interest in trying to work some of this out with me, shoot me an email!

nina beana said...

i love your list, and esp. heart that we would all be stinkin' hippies together in your ideal world. boo would like to join our commune, too, if that's ok. thanks for participating- there's something so freeing about actually writing down our wishes, and sharing them with others.

Hannah said...

Thinking about your feelings about 9/11 made me realize that you might like the song "If I Give Your Name" by Emma's Revolution--as well as all their music. This song won the Pete Seegar award and lots of others. It is about illegal immigrant workers killed in the towers. Very powerful song. You can hear parts on Amazon--and you can listen to all of it from their website:
http://emmasrevolution.com/music.cfm?area=one

They are an incredible duo. If you ever get a chance to hear them in person, go!

The album that has this song also has a song they wrote for their wedding that you might like.