bucket list

growing up, i had big dreams for my life. i mused on and was determined about lush plans and ambitions. i was quixotic about the years ahead of me. and truly, all my dreams came true, they really did.

but for some reason my starry-eyed spirit didn’t have concrete aspirations and wishes past about age twenty-five.

so now i’m working to formulate what my adult dreams should be, and figuring out how tightly i should cling to them, and learning how to deal with what is not really within my control.

i’m definitely in the camp of “life is short” so “live it up while you can!” but lately i’ve also been thinking about how life is long. i genuinely believe i’m only about a quarter of the way though, and that continuing to grow up will continue to be a marvelous mortal experience, no matter how many years go by or dreams become fulfilled.

the_best_is_yet_to_come

i’ll never forget a moment of crystal clarity that i experienced last year in the temple. i was looking into an ordinance worker’s deep, wrinkled face. she was maybe the oldest looking person i’ve ever seen in real life. my bright eyes connected with her glassy eyes and it hit me – the best is yet to come. there is so much ahead of me. life is long.

i was thinking about this yesterday and decided i should work on compiling a bucket list. below is a first draft, obviously incomplete, but a good start. some things i’ve listed are excruciatingly deep desires, and some are frivolous wishes, but all are dreams in my bones.

i really love mortality. i hope the next three-quarters can be progressively more fantastic. {yes, i plan to live to 100}

get married in the temple
give birth naturally
give birth again
live in new york city
live in india
live in china
live in europe
serve a mission
street perform
contribute something tangible to the building of a temple
take an international trip alone
run a half-marathon
run a marathon
become a certified yoga instructor
study abroad in jerusalem
visit all the national parks
see the northern lights
drive across the country
own a bed & breakfast
hike mt. timpanogos
ride a bike around bear lake
read all the chronicles of narnia
get into a competitive university
graduate from college
teach english as a second language
find a fulfilling career
have a secret boyfriend
be somewhere where all i can see to the horizon is sand
feel an earthquake
skydive
scuba dive
boy haircut (post-marriage)
write and publish a book
own a house and create a home
do an around-the-world trip
kiss a stranger
be fluent in another language
spend a weekend at a spa
paint something that i hang on my wall
own a mac computer
throw an incredible surprise party
roadtrip from vancouver to tiajuana
ride an elephant
ride a camel

volunteer at the olympics
see the spiral jetty
observe ramadan
move somewhere exciting without a plan
win an award
win a big prize out of luck
do the middle splits
times square on new years eve
have a garden
invent something
get kissed in the rain
dance in new york
have a regular column in a newspaper or magazine
go to culinary school
be quoted
go to a yoga retreat
singlehandedly cook an entire thanksgiving dinner
be in a parade
be in the middle of a real-live lantern festival (yes, just like that scene in tangled)
take my husband to israel
ride in a hot air balloon
buy a plane ticket on the next plane out, no matter where it’s going
learn to sail
sew an entire outfit for myself
surf
get a master’s degree
read the book of mormon in one week

Comments

  1. watch out world. here comes Charity.

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  2. I love it all! especially the boy cut, but only after marriage! haha, you crack me up...and I think you can check off live in Europe since you did live there for 18 months! and yeah let's start on the Vancouver to Tijuana plan - we can totally make that happen! xxx

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  3. You better hurry up and get that secret boyfriend one in, you know, before the husband. Otherwise that sounds like trouble. But they're fun!!!!!!

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  4. This is so awesome. I particularly liked "have a secret boyfriend"- haha! So good.

    One of my year-goals (I needed to think on smaller terms rather than a whole lifetime of goals) is to go on a hot air balloon for the first time, and I'm doing it next week! Agh! I'm half freaking out, half excited. Also, I'm doing it alone because no one else had the funds/desire to go with me, haha! I guess we'll see how it goes.

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  5. I'm so glad that life is l-o-n-g because that's quite an extensive, incredible list!

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  6. Oh my goodness. We have to talk about this list. ASAP. We are going to go over it one by one as soon as I get home. I can't wait to help you fulfill some of these THIS FALL.

    Wait - you're really not going to count England as Europe?

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  7. bucket lists are great! i read the BOM in 2 weeks because at the end of my mission I had just finished reading it and wanted to squeeze in another time. it was intense...but so good!

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  8. There are some of these that should not be done at the same time, or even in the same month as each other, i.e.:
    sew and entire outfit on my own and get a boy haircut.
    secret boyfriend and marriage.
    be somewhere where all i can see to the horizon is sand and feel an earthquake.
    give birth and any of the travelling ones.
    give birth and do the middle splits.

    Otherwise, go for it! But also come to Maui soon.

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  9. I don't know where you'd like to be quoted, but I've quoted you when talking to my kids.I've told them that Charity Eyre went on a trip with her parents to a place where the people were very poor. When her parents asked her what she had learned,she said, "You don't need shoes to be happy." It's one of my favorite quotes and it's even been printed in a book.

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  10. I loved reading your bucket list! I've seen this on a couple blogs lately and it leaves me feeling so inspired to publish mine! Yours is very very thorough, and I like that! Also planning to live to be 100 (or 110...3 centuries is in my bucket list, so however long that takes!)

    perfectly priya

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  11. Great list! The only thing I'd change is give birth naturally - OUCH!! Take the drugs - it won't diminish the experience at all, believe me!!

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  12. Thanks for sharing your ideas, it has inspired me to write my own list!

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  13. found your blog through 71 toes but love love LOVE this list! So much fun! Your goals are amazing and some of the stuff you have done is amazing too.. good luck meeting 'em! I got no doubt you will!

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