Every two years or so, now I’ve revisited the Life-Well Lived list, an antidote to the bucket list. The answer to the would-have could-have should-haves.
Here is a link to my first one, four years ago, items number 1-46.
Here is a link to the update, two years ago, items numbered 47-62.
And here’s the latest list! Starting at number 63. Since January 2015:
63. I’ve seen the Grand Canyon in person, from both the north and south rims
64. I’ve been whitewater rafting in class 3 rapids with my family
65. I’ve been to 37/50 states
66. My current AT mileage is 256
67. and 26 of those miles were solo overnights
68. I’ve gotten altitude sickness on Mt. Evans – the tallest paved road in N. America
69. I’ve gone on the US’s tallest alpine slide.
70. I’ve seen petroglyphs in real life – close up and personal with kokopeli
71. I’ve seen the fountain show in front of the Bellagio
72. I saw a real-life tumbleweed tumble across the road
73. We saw prairie dogs, and jackrabbits, antelope, buffalo and elk.
74. I discovered “Atlas Obscura” and have since:
- gone to Tiny Town
- eaten a really bad enchilada at Casa Bonita
- visited the tree that owns itself
- seen the GA guidestones
- visited the New Orleans Pharmacy museum
- and the Singing Oak in NOLA
75. Visited Athena in Nashville
76. Attended meetings at the Googleplex in Mountain View, CA
77. Got to hire a Sweet Briar student as an intern at WebMD
78. Played guitar and sang lead vocals at Ladies’ Rock Camp – and as a result kept writing songs and playing my ukulele. The house now contains *counts* four musical instruments. Five if you count the ocarina.
79. Reupholstered a chair
80. Made lots of silly things. 3D pen stuff, more clothes, candle-holders. Just things that I needed to make. Y’know, verbing.
81. Got a novel professionally edited (don’t judge me that I haven’t opened the file yet). And finished my second novel (it’s with readers now).
82. Applied to graduate school
83. I’ve spoken about SEO at two conferences.
84. I bought one of my best friends a golden fish while I was rather drunk in a castle. (True story. His name is Piers Castlefish III, and she made him a monocle and tuxedo. He’s a formal fish.)
85. I’ve ridden in the passenger seat while teaching my teenage stepson how to drive
86. … and I stopped him from running off the road in the cemetery while we were watching the flight of a hawk
87. I’ve ignored no-trespassing signs
88. I – along with thousands of other alumnae – Saved Sweet Briar College
I think I’ll stop there, though there are lots of little things that I have come to cherish lately. Like talking with Lyft drivers or keeping the dog home from daycare. I’ve got a lot more to add to this list. Maybe I’ll find time to do that in 2019.
I love the idea of a “Life Well-Lived list”. With so many “I want to do this (and that and…) lists going on, it’s nice to see celebrations of a more realistic kind. Not that looking toward the future is a bad idea (once you and another “I did it” to you list, you need a new thing to do), but as culture, I think we spend to much time planning for that “special day”.
It’s a richly rewarding process. I highly recommend trying it!