When I first started this blog back in November 2007 its purpose was to write down a list of things to do and places to go before I die – in homage to the movie “The Bucket List.” And even though this blog has become much more than that – I post photos and poems here, I write about my writing life, I report on special happenings – always in the back of my mind is the question: how am I doing in checking off the things on my list?
So I went back to two of my earliest post and copied the lists below. And I’ve commented on each one so you and I will both know what I’ve accomplished. And then I’ve written down a few more things – mainly about where in the world my husband and I want to travel before we’re unable to travel anymore.
That’s the thing. I feel very strongly lately that my time is very finite, so I need to make every moment that I have left count.
My Garden Buddha
- Climb down into the Grand Canyon – not done yet, but still on the list.
- Go to the parts of the United States I haven’t been to yet – Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, the Carolinas – we’ve made plans to visit these places this spring.
- Get my memoir Leaving the Hall Light On published – hooray, that has happened. It probably should have been first on the list.
- Get a poetry book published – no, but I haven’t worked hard on it. I have a lot of those poems in my memoir. Does that count?
- Read all the books that are waiting for me on the shelves in my closet – starting with:
- The Golden Notebook – yes, I read that, and I’m still working my way through the others. Of course, you know how that goes. Other new books always get in the way. Yet, I just found that I have a copy of Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close on that shelf. It’s up next to be read.
- Spend time outside in my garden – no. I don’t do that, and now I wonder why I even put it down.
- Get a Buddha for my garden – yes. The Buddha is there. See photo above. It stood out wonderfully during Ben and Marissa’s wedding.
- Spend more time in my office – yes. In fact I’m in my office almost all day, everyday.
- Write some new poems – yes.
- Take another cruise on the Cunard in the Princess suites to Scandinavia and Russia – yes.
- Visit my brother and his family in Denver – yes. And I’m so glad we did. We went there every other month for the two years before he died.
- Go to Virginia to see Anna and Ian and their mom and dad – and while there see the Annie Leibowitz exhibit at the Corcoran – yes. We’ve also gone there several times since and will go again in the spring as part of our northeast trip.
- Contact some folks about my blog – yes. I’m doing that constantly.
My brother, Ken
A Few More Things
Israel – if all goes as planned we’ll do that in November
Africa
Greece
And my most important goal of all:
Live for a while in Italy. I just can’t get that one out of my head.
Please share your hopes and dreams with me. And also give me some feedback on what we should see and do in the places I’ve listed above.
