What’s on Your List?

Janis over at Retirementallychallenged published an interesting life list she had come across. (I wish I had the skill to do that last line with the appropriate link!) Her blog post made me go on-line to explore other people’s life lists to see if there were some new ideas for my own possibilities list. (There were.)

What I’ve ended up with, however, is a list of “things on other people’s life lists that I have already done”. For a list-person, having a list of things checked off is an AMAZING feeling! You should try it! How many of these could you add to your checked-off (been there, done that) list? Or add to your own bucket list, if you are still creating one?

1. Set foot in all 50 US States (feet outside the airport)
2. Visit the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building
3. See a Broadway show on Broadway
4. Visit Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell & run up the “Rocky stars
5. Walk across Golden Gate Bridge, ride the streetcar and visit Alcatraz in San Francisco
6. Visit Las Vegas (for the crazy)
7. Go to MardiGras in New Orleans (also for the crazy)
8. See Mount Rushmore, the Grand Ole Opry, Wall Drug, and Niagara Falls (not on the same trip)
9. Visit Yellowstone, Glacier, Yosemite, Zion, Bryce, Arches, Grand Canyon, Acadia, Mt Rainier, Denali, and Grand Teton (actually visited 26 of 59 National Parks but those are my favs)
10. Watch a geyser blow, go whale watching, climb to the top of a waterfall (things spewing water!)
11. See a Cirque Du Soleil live
12. Attend a luau
13. Go to Disney World (Orlando) and Disney Land (California)
14. See Neuschwanstein Castle (the real Cinderella castle)
15. Fly first class overseas
16. Step on the Great Wall of China
17. Stand in Red Square Moscow
18. Climb Chichen Itza (Mexico; I don’t think they allow it anymore)
19. See the Swiss Alps (and eat some real fondue)
20. See the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre (Paris)
21. Eat sushi in Japan (and lots of their other amazing food)
22. Have a drink in an Ice Bar (in Sweden)
23. Ride a camel in a desert (in Abu Dhabi)
24. Travel around the world in one trip
25. See a meteor shower, a blood moon, a rain forest, and a glacier
26. Watch the sun rise over the Atlantic and set over the Pacific
27. Practice yoga on the beach
28. Sleep in a log cabin, sleep in a tent, sleep on a sailboat
29. Sail island to island for a full week
30. Hike in a state park when the leaves are in full color in the fall
31. Jet ski, snow ski, and water ski
32. Paddle a canoe, a kayak, and a stand-up paddleboard
33. Visit a water park, an amusement park, and a theme park
34. Ride all the roller coasters at an amusement park (on one visit)
35. Take a Zumba class, a NIA class, a yoga class
36. Play on a recreational sports team
37. Walk in a parade
38. Find shells on the beach and be able to name them!
39. Take a multi-day bike trip
40. Eat snails, alligator, calamari, pho, steamed pork buns, dulce de leche, poutine, pocky sticks, heirloom tomatoes, arepas, oysters, clotted cream, foie gras, venison, elk, plantains, mango & sticky rice, Peeking duck, and a bento box (not at same meal)
41. Eat lobster in Maine, gumbo in NOLA, and clam chowder on the coast of Oregon
42. Try BBQ everywhere you can
43. Try a Sazerac in NOLA, sake in Japan, beer at a craft brewery, and wine at a Sonoma Valley vineyard
44. Go to a drive-in-theater
45. Go skinny dipping
46. Try white water rafting, snorkeling, & riding a Segway
47. Ride a horse
48. Learn the names of all the Florida Shore birds
49. Watch animals in their native habitats
50. Got to college and get a Bachelor of Science degree
51. Drive an exotic car (ex. Lamborgini)
52. Own your dream car (a stick-shift, red Miata Convertible when I was 30!)
53. Go to local art fair, local farmers market, local street festival, local food festival
54. Buy art direct from an artist
55. Go to a rodeo, a demolition derby, and a county fair
56. Got to a professional baseball game
57. Go to an Olympic event
58. Get married, stay married (24 years and counting)
59. Coach a youth sport (volleyball)
60. Drive all night to get somewhere
61. Own a dog
62. Paint a room (or two or three)
63. Design and build a house (with a builder, I am not DIY!)
64. Get a full body massage, a facial and a pedicure all on the same day
65. Climb a mountain (or two or more)
66. Make chocolate chip cookies from scratch
67. Pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, play in a corn maze, and make S’mores over an open fire
68. Sit on Santa’s lap, see the Nutcracker Ballet live, and sing along to a Christmas chorale fest
69. Watch a fireworks display live
70. Go to a Midwest summer church festival and a Lenten Friday fish fry
71. Take cooking classes
72. Shop for and buy something antique
73. Become an antique dealer
74. Attend a murder mystery dinner
75. Attend a traditional English High Tea
76. Attend a pig roast
77. Go to the symphony, the opera and the ballet (at least once)
78. Go to the zoo
79. Play putt-putt golf
80. Plant and tend a garden
81. Do an art walk in a city known for outdoor art (like Portland)
82. Get (really) lost in a foreign city (it was in Germany)
83. Learn to throw pottery
84. Learn to play tennis
85. Be listed on a patent
86. Retire before 55 & start writing a blog

So what else happened in creating this list?
– I realized my list was more about places I’ve visited and experiences I’ve tried. Not very much about work accomplishments or things I’ve acquired. Others have talked about learning that life is about experiences, not things. I guess I’m learning that, too.
– Even the littlest of risks (trying a new food), can result in a feeling of accomplishment, if you view it that way.
– It’s also a list I’m going to pull out when I compare my life to others and feel inferior. (Yes, this was one of the things on my “stop doing” list – this comparison inferiority habit.) I have actually tried and experienced a lot of things in my life. My guess is you have, too!

Picture Credit: Pixabay