At the end of AmeriCorps, the big push was to think about "Life After NCCC." We were encouraged to think about what kind of life we wanted, what kind of jobs we were interested in, what paths we might take. I learned about the book The Back Door Guide to Short-Term Adventures, which unfortunately I never used (maybe someday I will). It felt like anything was possible, which was exciting as well as unnerving and scary. I was inspired to make a list--a life list, a list of things to do, to accomplish, to work towards, to wish for.
Here is the list all typed out and the 'verdict' on what I've done in the past eight years.
1. TRAVEL (in progress, but satisfactory so far!)
2. Mentor
3. Be an actor
4. Burn CDs
5. Get a master’s degree
6. Pay off my car
7. Dance! (I just saw Burlesque; it made me want to take dance classes. Too bad they're expensive.)
8. Collect maps
9. Write songs
10. Learn/study photography
11. Learn Latin (hahaha)
12. Design clothes
13. Work in film
14. Write a stage production (Oh! I totally did this for my students last year! Does that count?)
15. Buy a print/scan/copy/fax flatbed unit (I bought a scanner after AmeriCorps and a printer when I moved to NYC, but I've never had the thrill of an all-in-one unit.)
16. Learn Italian
17. Buy a new car
18. Own a zoom APS camera (Dated list :D)
19. Volunteer more
20. Find a job I love that lets me live well and travel (Teaching actually worked for the last two parts)
21. Work at a camp
22. Always learn new skills
23. Join a choir
24. Be an NCCC team leader in CA or MD (I applied but never heard back. It was the same time I applied to NYCTF, and after I'd applied to both I felt over NYC and was really excited about TL. Oh well.)
25. Always vote (I've always voted in the presidential elections, but this was my first midterm voting)
26. Donate blood (Total fail. Occasionally there's a trailer on a busy road near me, but I always see it when I'm either on my way somewhere or have time but haven't eaten anything. I always vow to come back and actually do it. But in the eight years since making this I have never donated. I will someday, though!)
27. Play ultimate a lot
28. Visit Alaska
29. Take a bike road trip
30. Get a tattoo (eeesh)
31. Make a movie (Does a stopmotion count?)
32. Visit Africa
33. Own TiVo
34. Be a writer
35. Learn auto maintenance
36. Live in Greece
37. Buy a diamond ring (Note "buy" not "get from a man"; I wanted to get one for myself just because.)
38. Start my own charity
39. Take a cross-country road trip
40. Learn calculus (hahaha)
41. Hike around Europe
42. Live simply
43. Grow roses and herbs
44. Never be complacent
45. Work for a non-profit (Teaching should really count for this...)
46. Lead a Girl Scout troop
47. Support causes I believe in
48. Take voice lessons
49. Buy a new computer
50. Write my life story
51. Buy books!
52. Open my own business
53. Learn HTML
54. Relearn piano
55. Sing on a published CD
56. Tour nation as a speaker
57. Publish a book
58. Live in Los Angeles (Good lord why?)
59. Live in New York City
60. Buy a big new stereo
61. Be a comedian
62. Find a place of my own
63. Study math, music, drama, art history, accounting, writing, poetry, language, drawing
64. Make new friends and visit old ones
65. Be strong
66. Join a softball league
67. Read 50+ books a year
68. Make a scrapbook with homemade paper
69. Hike at least a third of the Appalachian Trail (My knees wince at the mere thought.)
70. Go bungee-jumping (I've been ziplining twice! Much more compatible with my discomfort at freefalling.)
71. Work abroad
72. See one Broadway show a year
73. Write to my congresspeople
74. Work at a national park/reserve
75. Expand personal library of books, CDs, DVDs, videos
76. Find independence!
77. Own DVD/VHS combo
78. Work in community health/public health
79. Endorse a charity—libraries, environment
80. Live in Paris
81. Play the cello again
82. Teach (Wow.)
83. Buy a digital camera (Remember that in 2002, almost no one had digital cameras and they were super expensive.) (Done one, two, three, four, FIVE times. Holy cow.)
1 comment:
try your local gym for "dance" lessons - a lot of exercise classes include it to make the class more fun.
Or there DVDs. It's not the same as a class, but it is way cheaper!
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