Life Lists

Today my kids and I are taking my mom to see the King Tut exhibit that's visiting Atlanta. (My first grader is absurdly excited, partly because he watched all three Mummy movies with me this summer. I had to stress that there will be no actual mummies coming to life today--and, sigh, no Brendan Fraser either.) My mother says she remembers learning about Tut and the discovery of his tomb in grade school and has wanted to see this exhibit ever since, most of her life. This weekend isn't particularly good timing for her and this economy isn't particularly good for, well, anyone. But when I mentioned I could get tickets, she realized that if she didn't make time to go ahead and do it, she never would and it would be something she's always dreamed of that passed her by.

What do you dream of? I wanted to sell a book and be a mom I'm happy to say I've been blessed enough to do both! I also want to see the Grand Canyon, Australia and, maybe, one day sing in public (doing the Guitar Hero vocals for family and friends is as close as I've gotten). Items on the list can be small--I always wanted to try sushi because it sounded so exotic and sophisticated, but never did until I realized not ALL the rolls had raw fish in them--or huge. My parents backpacked across Europe in the early years of their marriage and while I'm not terribly rustic, I did at least want to go to Europe. My husband, who had never even been on a plane before we married, thought my goal of going to Europe sounded insane. To him, it was like saying I wanted to go to the moon. But that's before he got a job based out of Helsinki, Finland. He goes to Europe about three times a year! And one summer, I was lucky enough to go with him to Milan, Italy. (If you go, you must see the Cathedral) I still want--one day--to see Britain, the Louvre in Paris, and Scotland, the land of my ancestors. But it's amazing when I look back and see all that I have accomplished and enjoyed! I've swam with dolphins, I've been a RITA finalist, I tried a martini (which, blech), I've been a classroom mommy, I've seen Niagra falls, I've made people laugh, I've hiked through the Rockies (with no indoor plumbing! Another blech but totally worth it). This summer, I'll be seeing the Smithsonian/D.C. for the first time, and I can't wait!

So, what do you want to do? No matter how big or small, we all need things to look forward to and to look back on fondly.