My Life List …

I’ve been thinking alot lately about the things that I’d like to do in this lifetime. Maybe it’s my upcoming birthday that is putting me in this mood.
While it’s a common phrase these days, I’m not sure I like the term “bucket list” – I get it, it’s from the movie title. I’d rather call it my “Life List” or my “Dream List” or my “Experience It All List” … but that’s just me. Whatever you call it, I love the concept. I first heard about it as a “100 Things to Do Before You Die List” back around the turn of the millennium.  The speaker talked about the idea of arriving at the end of life knowing he lived it all, as much as he could, on purpose. No regrets are as strong as the dreams you left unchased.  With that motivation, I immediately made a pretty good list that started with flying in a hot air balloon. Yep, that was my first thing checked off as I did just that for my 40th birthday. I’ve since checked off quite a few items by now (11 years later).

So I’m reinvigorating my dreams and building up my list. I’d love to hear what’s on your list of things not to miss in this lifetime. So let’s do some sharing. What’s the favorite thing you’ve ever done and something you are hoping to do. I’m sure with suggestions from friends I’ll fill up my list in no time.

Suggest away and be blessed!

 

Joyful Yes

This week I had a gentle reminder of something that’s been on my “bucket list” for a very long time. It’s a small thing really, but a desire that was planted in the wee early days of my career. The “what” is not important. What is important is that, with the courage to speak a desire, even one that seems frivolous or unimportant to others, I find power in my voice. And the resulting “yes” strengthens my resolve to continue to create the life I want.

It sometimes surprises me to remember, or is it realize, that I really do have the power to get the things I want. The obstacles are rarely real. Whether it be the fear to ask. The shyness of being judged. The assumption that our desires are not important enough. Or that others hold the key to achieving our goal. How many times does this lesson come around? And the answer is still the same – SPEAK into possibility the thing you want, and BELIEVE it into existence by ACTION. Well, that and persistence, sometimes.

I know from speaking to many wiser and more experienced people that it is the little commitments to ourselves that we  keep which fuel our spirit. And in my own wisdom, which has been hard-won, I know that happiness is situational but joy is an enduring mindset. If I have to choose one – I choose joy. Because joy is not about the emotion in the moment but about an attitude of appreciation along the journey.

I wish for you a joyful “yes” for something on your bucket list. Go for it and be blessed!

Ballooning Around

Do you have a bucket list? I do. I’ve had it for about 12 years or so and long before the movie came out. I remember hearing an inspirational speaker talk about how people come to the end of their lives and regret the things they didn’t do more than they ever regret the things they actually did. He encouraged everyone to create a list of 100 things they wanted to do before they die. But don’t just create it – actually start doing them, with a goal of 1 or 2 things a year. He went on to encourage variety – yes, most of us will have places we want to see, but we should sprinkle in things we want to do or accomplish. And if you finish the list, keep adding to it.

He was effective in his talk and I was inspired to create my list. Although I have to admit it’s hard to come up with 100 things. I’ve never actually hit that number but I have over 50. Mine range from travel to learning sign language to painting  a picture and sewing a quilt and lots in between. I figure as long as there are things not yet done, the list is still alive. As I’ve been whittling away at the list I also add the date of when I actually did it. It’s fun to pull it out and remember and dream up some more.
My first item to check off was riding in a hot air balloon. It’s something I had always wanted to do and by golly I was gonna start there. I did that adventure for my 40th birthday. My 14-year-old daughter was the only one in the family with the desire to go up with me. So we got up early in the morning to meet the pilot. We got to see them raise the balloon, an unexpectedly fun thing to see in and of itself. We got into the balloon’s basket with the pilot and rose to the sky with the roar of the fire that fuels the balloon. My husband (now ex) and my son drove around following the balloon’s path so they could pick us up at the end point, wherever that would be.

While we were in the air it was a fun and surreal experience. The pilot was a friendly woman who would talk a little but mostly left us to our own conversations. I was in heaven during that trip. What I found astonishing was the sensation of floating but also how quiet it was when she didn’t have to fan the flame. While we were very far up we could see so far – it was a lovely August morning and the view was spectacular. And when we were right above something we could hear clearly directly below. At one point there were a few kids playing by a pool below us. We could hear them holler up to us and wave. So we hollered and waved back much to the delight of those kids.

As we were nearing the time when we should land, out pilot commented that we’d actually get a little bonus time because the balloon’s path had drifted over one of the state penitentiaries. We all enthusiastically and laughingly declared that we were decidedly NOT going to take it down in the middle of the guarded break area as the prison entertainment of the day. So we’d just drift along further down the way, thank you very much, and land elsewhere.

But that was not the last of the adventure. As we were nearing the alternative landing site that she chose, the pilot was bringing us down at a nice gradual pace. Suddenly as we approached about 10 to 15 feet from the ground she saw wires – telephone wires right in our path. With that she yelled an urgent “hang on” and dropped the basket like a lead balloon right in that spot. We landed with a thud and the basket rolled over on its side. We were thankfully close to the ground and no-one got hurt but I remember the sudden spill and our ungraceful roll out of the basket. We all jumped up, unharmed and thankful that she had turned her head at just the right angle to see the wires appear against the background. Disaster averted and our blood pumping a little faster we were clamoring to tell our story over birthday breakfast. What an exhilarating experience to cross off the bucket list. One that I will always treasure and frankly, long to repeat.

What’s on your bucket list? If you don’t have one, I highly recommend it! Daydream your list into life and be blessed!

Kreativ Blogger Award!!

I opened my blog today to find a delightful surprise!

 

Ann from Channel Comfort has nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award! I’m thrilled and honored that my writing has inspired a fellow blogger to recognize me. And I am humbled! THANK YOU Ann. I love your blog as well and hope my readers will come take a look!

Rules of Acceptance:

1. Thank the blogger who presented you with the award.

2. Post a photo of the award.

3. Share ten things about yourself readers don’t know.

4. Choose six people to present this award to.

5. Let the six bloggers know they have been awarded.

So here we go…

Ten things that readers do not know about me:

1. I grew up in an orphanage, was adopted at age 8, and had a brother find me after 25 years of separation. What a blessing!

2.  I took a ride in a hot air balloon on my 40th birthday. It was an exhilarating start to my bucket list! Feels like floating – can’t wait to do it again!

3.  I served on the jury of a capital murder trial when I was 20. SCARY stuff but I learned alot about the law and myself.

4.  I am a certified Myers-Briggs trainer and see personality styles come to life in every conversation I’m in. Love this stuff! Oh, yes, I’m an ENFP.

5.  I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree at the age of 40, having taken classes on nights and weekends over a 20 year span of time. Whew – I swore I’d get out of college before my kids got in – and I did!

6.  I love animal prints, especially leopard as well as blingy things. If you read my blog you’ll know the blingy part from my recent post: Rocks and rings and things that go bling.

7.  I have the cutest little Bichon Frise dog, 3 year old Gracie and she keeps me great company as I transition to empty nest status.

8.  I hosted a foreign exchange student from Norway, named Heidi for a year during my daughter’s Sr. year of high school. It was a great opportunity and I encourage anyone thinking about it to just do it! It’s not all easy or a bed of roses but it’s a fabulous chance to learn about another culture and touch the life of a student abroad.

9.  I’ve always wanted to learn how to fly a plane. It makes me giggle to think about it at my age – I’ll be like Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith show. It’s on my bucket list too!

10.  I collect angels – both figuratively and for real. I have a puppy pile of them that escort me around in life and I’m honored they help me in so many ways.

Passing on this nomination to the following bloggers who have recently inspired me:

http://familyhaikus.wordpress.com/

http://frominside2out.wordpress.com/

http://whispersforhomeandsoul.wordpress.com/

http://pegoleg.wordpress.com/

http://rtewrite.wordpress.com/

http://becomingcliche.wordpress.com/