so much to do...

I stumbled upon this blog today that runs people's to-do lists, from real daily activities to goals to "Why My Parents Are Hypocrites." In a voyeuristic way, it's kind of like the blog Post Secret, which always seems to bring a lump to my throat when I read it.

Anyway, as a person who loves lists and makes several each day - from things to do to potential careers to resolutions - I was intrigued. It got me thinking of a list I made recently, which I titled "Things to do before I die, but preferably sooner."

Problem is, in all my moves recently, I think I've lost the list or it's packed away somewhere. In an effort to recreate it, here are a few I remember off the top of my head. (I recognize that by putting these items here now I am opening myself up for feelings of failure if for some reason I check back here in years to come to see just what I have or have not fulfilled. Either way, here they are and feel free to comment some of yours, which of course I might have to add to mine.)

- Become fluent in another language. I have since amended this one to Spanish fluency (for a while it was Czech), and it's an item I am trying hard on, and getting pretty close to. At least right now I consider myself conversational (best in conversations with 6-year-olds and other Spanish language students.)

- Write a book. This is a big one for me, something I have wanted to do since I was a kid. I got thinking about this recently when I read some woman's blog that she chose to shut down, claiming the writing there was keeping her from putting her words toward a novel. I wonder...

- Travel the world. I am also working on this one, and the list of places I want to go just keeps growing.

- Get a story published in The New York Times. I have made zero progress on this one.

- Run a marathon. This one haunts me. I have no idea why I want to do it, and no matter how hard I try, I am a terrible runner. Again, no progress here.

That's all of the major ones I can think of now, although I am sure I'll remember a few once I post this. I didn't include some doozies like having babies or the smaller ones like learning how to knit (which I got pretty close to, then I got frustrated and gave up. Perhaps I'll get back to that sometimes soon...)