A little over nine years ago, I started creating a list of 100 things to do before I die. I wrote up the initial 20. They look like this:
- Live in a house built to my specifications
- Play ice hockey (beer league will do)
- Live in a third-world country
- Completely research my family history
- Be interviewed on the CBC
- Own a dog
- Own another cat
- Own a hybrid or electric car
- Live by the ocean
- Drive across Canada
- Visit Patagonia
- Visit Vietnam
- See a play of mine produced
- Read 100 more of the books on Harold Bloom’s Western Canon.
- Work as a film critic
- Read Ulysses by James Joyce
- Build or skate in an ice rink in the Republic of Ireland
- Change careers
- Hike the Cabot trail
- Become passably fluent in French
I’ve recently been clearing out some storage boxes, random electronics (thank you, Free Geek Vancouver) and books. In an old notebook, I found these handwritten additions to my original 20 items:
- Visit Israel
- Visit Egypt
- Visit South Africa
- Plant a vegetable garden
- Kayak somewhere for at least a week
- Bike somewhere for at least a week
- Open my own business
- Not work for a year
- Get a Master’s degree
- Volunteer abroad for a time
- Work with animals
- Publish a book
Whew, that’s a measly 32 items. It’s actually pretty tricky to think of 100 things I want to do before I die. What does that say about me? Charitably, I’m a realist. Cruelly, I’ve got a pathetic lack of imagination. I’ve put my mind to it, though, and here are 18 more things. I reserve the right to include a couple that were definitely lifelong aspirations that I’ve achieved in the past few years:
- Publish a novel
- See the wildebeest migration at Ngorongoro Crater
- See my great uncle Ross’s grave in Kiel, Germany
- Walk Juno Beach on the anniversary of D-Day
- Become a patron of the arts (whatever that means)
- Catch a fish
- Catch a fish using a speargun
- Take a multi-day train trip
- Run 5 km without puking
- See the aurora borealis
- Learn how to competently play jazz guitar, in the django style
- Visit all of Canada’s provinces and territories
- See the Sahara desert
- Visit New Zealand
- Visit Seychelles
- Volunteer on an archeaological dig
- Take some singing lessons
- Spend 40 days totally alone, without any modern technology
Whew. Halfway there. And now, the complete list, with the ones I’ve actually completed. I’d better pick up the pace:
- Live in a house built to my specifications
- Play ice hockey (beer league will do)
Live in a third-world country
- Completely research my family history
Be interviewed on the CBC
- Own a dog
- Own another cat
Own a hybrid or electric car
- Live by the ocean
- Drive across Canada
- Visit Patagonia
- Visit Vietnam
See a play of mine produced
- Read 100 more of the books on Harold Bloom’s Western Canon
- Work as a film critic
- Read Ulysses by James Joyce
Build or skate in an ice rink in the Republic of Ireland
Change careers
- Hike the Cabot trail
- Become passably fluent in French
- Visit Israel
- Visit Egypt
Visit South Africa
Plant a vegetable garden
- Kayak somewhere for at least a week
- Bike somewhere for at least a week
Open my own business
- Not work for a year
- Get a Master’s degree
- Volunteer abroad for a time
- Work with animals
Publish a book
- Publish a novel
- See the wildebeest migration at Ngorongoro Crater
See my great uncle Ross’s grave in Kiel, Germany
Walk Juno Beach on the anniversary of D-Day
Become a patron of the arts
Catch a fish
- Catch a fish using a speargun
- Take a multi-day train trip
Run 5 km without puking
- See the aurora borealis
- Learn how to competently play jazz guitar, in the django style
- Visit all of Canada’s provinces and territories
See the Sahara desert
- Visit New Zealand
- Visit Seychelles
- Volunteer on an archaeological dig
- Take some singing lessons
- Spend 40 days totally alone, without any modern technology
I’m open to suggestions. What would you add to my list?
If you need help with Ulysses I can recommend Delaney:
http://blog.frankdelaney.com/2010/06/re-joyce-episode-0-introduction-to-james-joyces-ulysses.html
I like that “playing hockey” is on your list. If you ever want to go out for some stick & puck practice, let me know!
Ali and I wrote our list when we first got married in 94 and it prompted me to dig it up. I have a few items on there which are very odd.
Visit Edinburgh Castle– I’ve only been there a dozen times or some but never went in..
See Nelson Mandela wearing a fancy shirt — I remember when he came to London in the late 90’s. Did I go see him? No of course, the crowds would have put me off.
The best one though is near the end – retire in the Muskoka or the Ottawa Valley? WHAT? That is so not going to happen.
Clearly I should give my list more attention and act on it.
Here are a few items that might be of interest:
– Attend an opera in Vienna or Prague
– See a Chicago Bull game
– See a heard of cariboo
– Walk on the great wall of China
– Visit Hong Kong
– Eat a chapati on the streets of Calcutta
– Attend a rugby World Cup match
– Climb Ayers Rock
– Sail into a Fjord
Your post reminds me I keep meaning to write down my own list.
Maggie Mason at mightygirl.com has a number of interesting options on her list that may inspire some new items for yours.
And personally, knowing how you feel about the chore of eating, I’d like to see some food-related things on your list. Try something new, learn a foreign preparation, or even try an elimination diets (go vegan perhaps?) to see how you feel.
count me in for stick and puck !
Well, if you decide to come to Patagonia we’ll love to help you get around !
I love some of your lists. I must do mine soon, I’m 35 already. I’ve had a few things that I’ve wanted to do for a long time – some of them I have done and some of them are pipe dreams. My biggest is to one day visit Canada, if not live there, and see some of her fabulous cities & towns.
I thought you built a house?
Cool post idea. Some of the better ideas from my mental list (not already on yours):
Organize/digitize my life’s scrapbooks, photo albums, unsorted prints, and digital photos.
Organize/digitize all the music I’ve cared about in my life, including those 20 or so cassettes I recorded and remixed off the radio in high school.
Visit the Great White North (think DEW line) and walk/trek on pack ice.