This is something I've been working on long before I got started the blog, inspired by the wonderful Maggie over at Mighty Girl. Do you know Maggie? Oh, you must! Just do yourself a favor and go check out her blog at once! I hope you have the next 137 hours free to spend obsessively reading.
Maggie is a Blogger with a capital B, and she does big and important things like inspire people to chase their craziest dreams. She is Amazing (capital A), and if I can contribute nothing else to this little blogosphere but introduce a few more people to Maggie, then I will die a happy peacock!
Among Maggie's wonderful contributions is her Mighty Life List - a list of 100 things she wants to do before it is all over. And she encourages all of her readers to dream big and think about all of the things they want to cross off of their list. Big or small, practical or totally out there, ANYTHING can go on the list.
It is so important to have dreams, and what I learned from Maggie is that it is just as important to give a voice to those dreams. Know what you want and put it out there for the universe to hear. There are so many adventures waiting for us, so go crazy -- think BIG! Talk to your friends, your spouse, your mom about what you want to do -- and listen as they invariably start spilling their secret dreams. You never know what will happen...
Without further ado, here are the ingredients for what I call Alison's Lovely Life List*:
*This list is a work in progress; I reserve the right to add/delete items as my little heart desires; items in bold are COMPLETE!
1. Quit my job and spend 6 months volunteering
2. Adopt a sweet and charming miniature dachshund
3. Run a half marathon
4. Learn how to drive…again
5. Meet my best friend/be a best friend
6. Take my mom on a fantastic trip to Italy
7. Be a wife
8. Be a mother
9. Be the world’s coolest aunt
10. Live in Los Angeles
11. Figure out my goal weight and learn how to stay there
12. Live in an adorable apartment in Greenwich Village
13. Spend a few months backpacking in Europe
14. Spend a long weekend at the Parker Palm Springs
15. Learn enough Spanish and French to impress people
16. Ride on the Orient Express
17. Take a bike tour through Italy
18. Learn to surf in Hawaii
19. Buy my own little beach bungalow in the Hamptons
20. Contribute something positive to the world and make a good living with a “Thank-God-It’s-Monday” fulfilling job
21. Write a book
22. Own my own business
23. Have a drink with one of the writers of The Daily Show
24. Be a Disney World Cast Member – spread pixie dust!
25. Learn how to use all of the features of my DSLR and be a photography rock star
26. Ride Dumbo at all 5 Disney theme parks
27. Plan my own lovely and adorable Martha Stewart-worthy wedding
28. Attend a red carpet movie premiere
29. Go to the Oscars (maybe as a nominee!)
30. Meditate in Bali
31. Swim with that cool glowy plankton stuff in Puerto Rico
32. Fall madly in love with the sweet, funny guy
33. Go to the Sundance Film Festival
34. Live in Orlando
35. Fly on a private plane
36. Compete in some kind of cooking contest -- bonus points if there is a corny Food Network Special about it!
37. Attend a political rally in Washington DC
38. Linger over dinner in Sorrento with my family, watching the sun set over Mount Vesuvius
39. See the town in Ireland where my grandmother was born
40. Ride on a zipline through the jungles of Costa Rica
41. Take an African safari
42. Have my picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower
43. Ride the Tower of Terror solo – and buy the picture this time!
44. Run over the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise
45. Dive into the Mediterranean from a boat floating off of Capri
46. Take a cross-country road trip across the US
47. Get super dressed up and go to the Met Costume Institute Ball
48. Learn to give myself the perfect blowout
49. Dance all night in Cuba
50. Flaunt some beads at Mardi Gras
51. Pay off my credit card debt
52. Earn another master’s degree
53. Figure out my creative calling
54. Plan a summer volunteer bike trip
55. Be Goofy (or some other costumed character!)
56. Make someone’s wish come true
57. Start a book club
58. Do something that could get me arrested (but not get arrested for it!)
59. Figure out my favorite book, movie, death row meal
60. Win a hand of black jack in Las Vegas
61. Spend the night in Cinderella’s Castle
62. Cheer for Team USA at the Olympics
63. Watch a movie under the stars at Bryant Park
64. Get tickets for Shakespeare in the Park
65. Shop in a Moroccan marketplace
66. Take a bike ride along the beaches of Goa
67. Own a Chanel jacket
68. Drive down Pacific Coast Highway in a convertible
69. Have clothing custom-made in Vietnam
70. Run a marathon
71. Be photographed by Bill Cunningham
72. Cheer loudly at my brother’s college graduation
73. Make sure my mom and brother really know how much I love them
74. Host a big Thanksgiving dinner
75. Learn how to bake a dessert that people remember
76. Run a race that raises money for something I care about
77. Have my picture taken with Judge Judy
78. Wear a bikini in public
79. Buy a fixer-upper and flip it
80. Sneak a peak in the Vogue accessories closet
81. Be a clue in the NY Times Crossword Puzzle
82. Be a mentor to someone
83. Watch the Sound of Music at the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont
84. Write a blog that inspires people
85. Take Audrey to the South Beach Wiener Dog Festival
86. Become the person who actually follows through on all of my good intentions…it isn’t only the thought that counts
87. Have my place featured on Apartment Therapy
88. Spend a day performing random acts of kindness – feeding meters, shoveling walks, buying a round of drinks
89. Hang out at the tents at New York Fashion Week and see a fashion show
90. Find a regular volunteer project
91. Master a great smoky eye, a rosy pink blush, my perfect lipstick shade
92. Learn to make amazing French macarons
92. Learn to make amazing French macarons
93. Solve a mystery
94. Learn CPR
95. Attend a blogger summit
96. Make something pretty
97. Learn how to tie a tie and sew a button
98. See all 50 states
99. Take a cruise to Alaska
100. Go skinny dipping
101. Hang out backstage with the band
102. Be an extra in a movie/tv show
103. Throw a fabulous party
104. Dye my hair blonde
105. Design the most glamorous peacock Halloween costume
106. Go to a state fair
107. Meet an Imagineer
108. Learn Photoshop
109. See all of the Best Picture Oscar winners
110. Understand the very basics of html coding
111. Teach Audrey 3 new tricks
112. Sing on stage at the Apollo
113. Teach a class
114. Eat many delicious 10pm dinners in Barcelona
115. Make a gingerbread house
116. Ride a unicorn (with thanks to Beatrice and Isabelle, truly great Life List makers)
Do you have a Life List? What have you crossed off so far? What is the craziest thing on your list? Let me know!
Do you have a Life List? What have you crossed off so far? What is the craziest thing on your list? Let me know!
This is the best.life.list.EVER! Wow! I am seriously impressed. I love it! I say we both figure out 91 and then tackle 89! :)
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks! You know a thing or two about adventure and living life to its fullest, so I consider that very high praise!!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, that sounds like a great deal! I am pretty sure that with amazing smoky eyes (and super high heels), you can pretty much get into any fashion show :)
Also, reading your blog makes me seriously want to tackle #114 -- my passport is practically jumping out of the drawer!