I’ve been slowly, quietly creating a Life List. Some of this is laughably aspirational, and other bits are embarrassingly rudimentary. They are listed in no order whatsoever. This list will likely be ever-changing, and I’m going to add and subtract as I go. Crossed-out items have been accomplished!
- Eat at the French Laundry
- Write a children’s book
- Start a high-quality community arts center in my neighborhood
- Stand quietly in La Sagrada Familia for ten minutes
- Find a form of exercise that I really love
Host/coordinate a “long table” dinner party- Completely refurbish an old building
Own a piece by Diana Fayt- Win a MacArthur Grant or become a TED fellow (ha!)
Grow a (rooftop?) garden- Go to New Zealand
Make jam out of six different fruits in one yearLearn to alter patterns and make beautifully-tailored clothing- Raise a really great dog
- Send someone to college
Commission a new work by an amazing composerGo to Hawaii- Have a one-on-one session with Michael Kaiser, and pick his brain
- Receive an honorary doctorate
- Eat beignets at Cafe du Monde with someone I love
- Do a seasonal dinner/cooking class in my home
Own a Persian rug- Make homemade pasta in Italy
- Commission a painting
- Sew or commission a quilt made out of sentimental garments (like Grandmom’s leaf quilt)
- Surf
- Establish an annual vacation tradition
Surprise breakfast delivery for people I love: burritos? Scones?Drink a fancy cocktail (garnished by a tiny umbrella) by the pool in Palm Springs- Own at least five acres of land
Get all of my moles and freckles checked outHost a huge family Thanksgiving dinnerLearn how to effectively say “no” without sounding like a mean person- Donate $5,000 to a cause I care about
Get into the habit of flossing dailyRun/Walk a 5KAttend an Outstanding in the Field dinner- Sing with a band
- Do a pull up
Own a perfectly-fitted trench coat- Go to Paris
- Celebrate May Day by secretly dropping off bouquets at my neighbors’ front doors
- Barbecue oysters at Point Reyes or Tomales Bay
- Send someone on a surprise vacation
Attend a sing along at the Castro Theatre- Host a Christmas cookie party
- Learn to sail a boat
- Establish a scholarship in someone’s name
Take ballet classes again- Build a chair
Sit on the beach in Mexico, drinking a beer- Stay in a yurt in Big Sur
- Strip old wallpaper out of an entire room (I have no idea why I think this would be so appealing, but I think I’d love it)
- Visit all 58 (or 59, depending upon the list) National Parks
- Go hiking in a foreign country
Dye my hair red- Fall madly in love with someone who madly loves me
Cook a whole fish- Write 100 poems
- Host a retreat on the coast for the utterly badass women in my life