15 Things I Want to Do

by | Jul 21, 2013 | Creativity, Family, Health and wellness, Home

This is not a bucket list. It’s not a bunch of New Years resolutions. It’s just a list of things that I’ve been thinking about lately.

I feel like life is really short. I feel like I’ve been working entirely too much lately. And I feel like I want to get back to some of the things that bring me joy. Less stress and more joy. That way I’m a much more enjoyable person to be around, ya know?

So, in no particular order, here are 15 things I want to do:

  1. Spend more time with family and friends
  2. Actually use my gym membership (to swim laps)
  3. Start running ~4 miles regularly again
  4. Take horseback riding lessons again
  5. Find a way to go sailing regularly
  6. Finish my SCUBA certification and go diving
  7. Donate money to / volunteer with organizations I want to support
  8. Save up vaca days and skip town for a long weekend
  9. Get my house in order so I can invite friends and family over
  10. Learn to use the sewing machine my sister gave me
  11. Spend more time in reflection and/or personal writing
  12. Take voice lessons again to get over the fear of singing in front of people
  13. Read more: books I own, check out at the library, borrow from friends
  14. Design a kick-ass home studio for allllll my creative stuff to call home
  15. Take better care of myself: reduce stress, eat better, get manis/pedis

Some of this stuff has been nagging at me daily. Other stuff is just something I really miss doing. And I wanna get back to it.

It’s kind of like that scene in The Notebook where she realizes exactly how much she has missed painting. She loved painting. It made her so happy. But for some reason — a reason she can no longer recall — she’s stopped painting. So when homeskillet gives her a chance to paint on the porch, she’s totally in heaven.

thenotebook

I’m not saying I’mma spend days in the nude painting on a front porch or anything. Just … I’ve forgotten why I haven’t made these things more of a priority. I’ve had my nose to the grindstone for so long that I’ve lost some of these things in my life. And that makes me so sad.

So I’m going to stop being sad and start doing these things. I figured the best way to start doing that is by making the list public. Putting it in writing and publishing it means that people will likely ask me how it’s going when we see each other. That accountability is helpful.

There ya have it. Time to get to it.