The over-achiever, to-do list obsessed person in me is tempted to be disappointed that I didn't finish. I haven't planted a garden. I haven't made an apple pie after a day of apple-picking. I haven't written a book, or even a story. I haven't written thank-you notes to my teachers, even after attending the funeral of one of the teachers on my thank-you note list and kicking myself for not making my appreciation known before it was too late.
But the list wasn't really ever about achievements. It was about pushing boundaries, challenging myself to think big, and exploring new paths. And in that, I'm more than satisfied.
To learn to juggle, I took a circus class with my mom at Charm City Movement Arts, where we learned not only how to juggle (note: learning to juggle and actually juggling are not quite the same thing, and I'm somewhere in between the two) but how to walk on a tightrope (which is much, much harder than it looks).
I made a soufflé, and it didn't collapse. I went to the Library of Congress with a dear friend and sniffed some books (they were gift shop books, but I'm counting it). I made some lovely things.
I read the first 240 pages of War and Peace before giving up on it for good, but my preparation for Tolstoy did include reading Anna Karenina, which I adored. I read five Hemingway novels. I made a new friend (several). I ran my first 5k, and then went on to run a half marathon... and then another and another.
I might not have accomplished all 26 things, but when I look at what I did do, I can honestly say the list worked. I tried new things and then some more. Some, like War and Peace, I abandoned. Some, like the 5k, I expanded.
And some, like reading all of Hemingway's work, will make a second appearance on the soon-to-be 30-by-30 list.
Thanks for sharing this post with us! I would love to make a similar list of things to do to stretch me out of my comfort zone in places and focus me in others. Thanks for some inspiration!
ReplyDeleteOf course! Even though I didn't finish the 26 things, I'm working on the new list of 30 to continue to push my boundaries a little bit.
DeleteGood for you! You did some truly awesome things. I am really bad at giving up on anything I've put on a list. My Type A personality makes me want to check everything off it and in doing so I can sometimes miss the point. I think our lists should eventually become ever-evolving things that reflect our desires at any point in life. I'm working on it. Happy early birthday to you!
ReplyDeleteFlying an airplane really was awesome. And the failure to complete the list was a good exercise in controlling my Type A self, learning to celebrate what I did accomplish rather than fixating on what I didn't.
DeleteI have tried making these lists before, but I 1) couldn't even fill the list and 2) realized that I'm just not that motivated, and some of those things required money I just didn't have. Whomp whomp.
ReplyDeleteI am SERIOUSLY impressed with what you managed to accomplish! Flying an airplane! Running a half-marathon! For reals girl, that's some awesome stuff.
Also, happy (late) birthday!
Totally understood on the money front. I try to keep my lists a mix of things that might require some saving (though I actually found a Groupon for the airplane, which was pretty spectacular) and things I can do at little to no cost (write thank-you notes) to keep it doable even when budget is stretched thin.
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