Things to do before you turn......?

I was reading a blog today and realize that people write books on these things, so I might as well write a blog entry on it. There are lists of things you should do before you turn 30, or 40; and there's also that book of 1000 places you have to see before you die. While it is true that there are some things well worth doing and some places well worth seeing, what of those who don't, or can't? Can we say that their lives were not well-lived? I think not. There are plenty of people who have lived amazing lives but never really did all the things that are "listed". What of those who lived before our time? They essentially never "blogged" or drove or anything too technological but they lived meaningful and great lives that are an inspiration for others. So I came up with a list of things to do before I die. Of course there are a bunch of personal things too but the bottomline here is that it's how you live your life that matters. And within that, it is always good to have some concrete goals for your life.

    Here's my "List":
  • Age with grace.
  • Live life to its fullest.
  • Laugh often, out loud, and at yourself.
  • Don't be what others think you should be, but rather be who YOU think you should be, or perhaps already are.
  • Change if you need to; stay the same if you must.
  • Do things with compassion, kindness, sincerity and honesty.
  • Believe in dreams and never give up hope.
  • Look for things seldom noticed but often seen.
  • Enjoy the people around you, or the place you are in, today - they (or you) may not be here tomorrow.
  • Take a trip that forces you out of your comfort zone.
  • Open your eyes and see with your heart.
  • Go skydiving or parachuting.
  • Take surfing lessons.
  • Visit a country where I can practice my French.
  • Visit the continents I have not yet stepped foot on (South America, Antarctica, and Australia).
  • Keep adding to my list. :)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Successful Summer

I know that's a funny title for a blog entry, but seriously, I had a successful summer. Now what constitutes a successful summer? I think a successful summer is enjoying the weather, having fun, and accomplishing what goals one needs to in the 3 months before school starts (obviously the school starts bit doesn't apply to those who are not in school). But I'm sure we all have goals we want to accomplish over the summer months. What were my goals aside from enjoying the summer, which might for all intents and purposes might be my last "relaxing" summer for a long time? Studying for comprehensive examinations. I didn't study as hard as I had intended, but I did study. And anxiety rose as the day of the exam drew near. Of course the actual date of the examination was at the very end of my summer so I didn't have much time to just relax. But in any event, I took my exam on August 20th and found out my results a week later. While my results were highly satisfac
Read more

A Happy Ending for the Dog Drama

Yes, I can say that it is a happy ending. What a difference a day can make! Yesterday I was incredibly sad at the prospect of not seeing my cute dog ever again. My blog posting yesterday might have provided enough evidence of my sadness. But today I am elated because we have found him and he is at home with us again! Where was he found? Someone finally called us to say they had our dog. He was in someone's yard in our neighborhood - maybe about 8 or 9 blocks away. I wasn't there to receive the call but someone else in my family was. When they went to pick up Snoopy and inquire as to where he was when they found him, they were simply told that he was sitting outside their fence and so they brought him inside. My sister-in-law told me she was inclined to think that they wanted to keep him but may have either listened to their conscience or seen the flyer that I had posted at the grocery store less than a block away from the house where Snoopy was found. Either way, I am just than
Read more

Reunion in Jo'burg

Image
On my return from the conference in Durban, I was fortunate enough to spend a few days with my childhood best friend. It was amazing to be able to meet her again some twenty years later. We had spent time catching up and also attended her daughters' cross-country event. We also had dinner at this African-themed restaurant (where else would we eat when in South Africa?) called Moyo's. This picture is of us after getting our face painted. :) For dinner I had springbok, and also managed to taste a bit of ostrich. Very interesting, and pretty good - both of them, I'd say. :) The next night I actually met up with some other people that I had not seen in twenty-one years. It was just amazing to see us all grown up (the kids), and the adults were somewhat the same, except for a bit of age of course. So I managed to have this big old reunion in Johannesburg. Oh, and we unknowingly drove by Nelson Mandela's house in Jo'burg, only having realized it as we drove past wondering
Read more