Last night, while writing in an old notebook, I happened to stumble across a list I had made of all the things I would like to see accomplished before I leave this earth. I began to read it & was surprised at the simplicity of the list. I was expecting it to be glamorous & ambitious; maybe a little bourgeois as they say (I typically have high standards for myself). But it wasn’t any of the above. It was humble & significant. Surprisingly enough, I have seemingly completed more of this list than I ever thought, which made me feel very proud & important; that maybe I am fulfilling all of the wonderful things I have wanted for my life, no matter how modest. Here is an excerpt of this list. The ones that are bolded are the ones that have been completed.
- travel to Paris, France; have coffee in a cup & saucer, sitting down in a small cafe.
- tell someone what I really think of them. (I don’t remember what became of this.)
- hear someone tell me “You’ve made a difference in my life.” (Everyday I hear this from the mouth of my husband.)
- have a successful, love-filled relationship. (Compared to what was before, my marriage is the epitome of this description.)
- make love with [real] multiple orgasms.
- cry out of sheer & complete happiness.
- say something nice to a stranger. (I can’t remember what was said.)
- give money, food, clothing to a homeless person.
- be introduced as “fianceé.”
- & be proposed to, of course.
- take a road trip.
- change a tire.
- have more than $1,000 in my account.
- travel to Canada.
- wear an outfit without a bra. (This is now religiously done.)
- buy lingerie & wear it.
- move out of my hometown.
- paint a picture; abstract.
- go topless at a nude beach.
- kiss my grandfather.
- knit a scarf.
- get married, with all the traditions. (This wasn’t rightfully done with all the traditions, but I was married.)
- see an ex-boyfriend, & brag about my happiness.
- do a striptease.
- appreciate seafood — then become 70% vegetarian. (This wasn’t rightfully done either; I never managed to stomach seafood & I am now 100% vegetarian.)
- see the 3 pyramids of Giza.
- take a dance class.
- talk to my mother about sex. (Probably one of the most endearing, meaningful moments of my life.)
- learn to play the jaw-harp.
- wear a floor-length gown.
- get a professional massage.
- read “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin. (I am nearly finished with this book.)
- go to a bar; order a cosmopolitan.
- receive a bouquet of orchids &/or gerber daisies. (My husband is so wonderful. I’ve received both arrangements several times since we’ve been married.)
- shake hands with someone important/someone famous.
Nearly completing this effortless list is something I am most proud of.