One step ahead of Mrs. O'Leary's cow

Inspired by this person, this person, and a recollection of my own blog post about 2 years ago, I decided to take out the ole Bucket List, re-examine it, re-assess it, re-edit it, and re-post it. I don't know if I'll follow Carrie's whole "25 Goals While 25" format for accomplishing things...to be honest, I'm rather intimidated by it. And I also just like the excitement of an opportunity just coming up, and taking it. I'm trying to find a balance between carpe-ing the diem and allowing the circumstances to come to me. But I think I can manage to knock out at least a few of these in the coming year...

The Bucket List Quarter-Century Status Report and Update
('Cause I'll be 25 in less than a week...that's 1/4 of a century, people! Whoa!)
September 2, 2010

Accomplished:
• Go skinny dipping
• Sneak out of my house with a boy, after he threw rocks at my window (Jacob, right before we were married! Yay! I wouldv'e had to retire this one otherwise)
• Publish my poetry in a literary journal or magazine (BYU-Idaho’s “Outlet”)
• Perform in BYU-Idaho’s “Acoustic Café”
• Be a member of Comic Frenzy
• Milk a cow
• Be a bridesmaid for a friend
• Sleep under the stars
• Stay up all night and then watch the sunrise
• Attend a political rally/meeting
• Hike in the rainforest
• Make out in the shower at a party (though not while showering)
• Do something illegal, though relatively harmless (haven’t we all?)
• Ride an elephant
• Read the entire Book of Mormon
• Climb an ancient ruin in Central/South America
• See a famous painting in real life
• Have a conversation with a homeless person (Crazy Dan, how Medford’s youth adores you)
• See a show on Broadway
• Go on a cruise
• Be part of a parade (Which I love doing. Really. All you have to do is wave and people cheer at you.)
• Hike part of the Oregon Trail
• Stand in two states at once
• Send a message in a bottle
• Zip-line through the rainforest
• Go white-water rafting
• Ride in a limousine
• Get a picture that I drew on the wall at Jamba Juice (This one may seem trivial, but I was really really happy when I succeeded. They’re picky over there.)
• Walk through downtown Manhattan at “rush hour”
• Set off powerful (even if illegal) explosives
• Touch a moon rock
• Visit Washington DC
• Play a role in an independent film (click here to watch the 3-minute film on youtube!)
• Participate in a food fight of some kind
• Sing in a jazz combo (yeah, this one's on youtube, too)

Still to be accomplished (old and new items):
• Perform in BYU-Idaho’s “Guitars Unplugged”
• Perform a stand-up comedy routine
• Volunteer in a 3rd world country
• Pose as a nude model for an art class (this one is currently in debate, given my new marital status and level of religious covenant)
• See the Northern Lights
• Audition for the “Actor’s Studio” in NYC
• Backpack some part of Europe (There's a possibility I could do this in the next year! Hello Ireland.)
• Road-trip on a motorcycle (necessitates spending the night somewhere)
• Swim naked in the ocean, preferably under a full moon (TMI?)
• See a bear in Yellowstone National Park
• Punch through glass out of necessity
• Record a solo song in a professional recording studio
• Teach a high school class
• Commit an act of civil disobedience for a cause I believe in
• Experience a tornado
• Visit the Holy Land (Jerusalem area)
• Visit India
• Listen to live jazz in a club in New Orleans
• Be part of a medical research study group
• Read the entire Bible
• Get re-certified in CPR
• Attend a Star Trek convention with Beckah
• Attend an opera at the Met
• Have an MRI taken of my brain
• Wear a genuine Oscar de la Renta dress, even if it's just for a minute or two
• Have a serious conversation/interview with someone famous I admire
Like…
Jack White (musician)
Gregory David Roberts (ex-convict/author)
(I know there are more, but I can't think of them at the moment...)

Retired:
• Spend the night in jail (I didn’t want this hassle without there being a good reason, so if I get arrested for my act of civil disobedience, I guess that’s two birds with one stone…)
• Kiss a stranger (This actually began to lose interest for me even before I was married.)


Whew! I've got a ways to go! But I'm excited to keep living life, one adventure at a time. =)

If I did have to put my desires for the next year into one specific goal, I'd say that I'd like to be more humble. That's the core issue at a lot of my shortcomings, I think. I'd like to be friendlier and not afraid of meeting new people, more generous, more patient, and more forgiving. And all of those things demand that I let go of my pride (of which I have a lot, if I do say so myself -- ha ha). Jacob is such an excellent example to me...he's always reaching out to those around him, and if ever I begin to pass judgment on someone, he always gives them the benefit of the doubt. His example is both a motivation and a tool to strengthen me. I'm grateful for the temple, and other opportunities I have to serve those around me! It's from a cheesy Relief Society hand-out magnet, but I love the saying "Love and service are like jam...you can't spread any without getting a little on yourself." That's true in my experience.

I want to become and remain a strong, intelligent, powerful woman. But I'm realizing/remembering that trying to become so on my own doesn't give me a good enough foundation for those qualities to be true and lasting. I need the help of others, and I need the Atonement. You can't have the blessings of living righteously without, you know, living righteously. The Lord's strength is stronger than my own, and I want to be humble enough to receive it and use it for good. Here's to another year of goals!