10 for my Twenties

I’m not big on personal countdowns or New Years resolutions, but it is the time of year for lists, and I love me a list!  I love to write them and read them and cross things off them. Some times I make lists after the fact just to cross it off.  I love grocery lists and chore lists and top ten lists.  I especially love my bucket list.   I made it about a year ago on www.bucketlist.org and I’ve added a lot of things along the way.  I haven’t, however, actually crossed much off of it.

You see, unless you have  terminal illiness (which thank G-d I do not) most of us don’t have  a sense of urgency about kicking the bucket.  I always assume I’ll get to those bucket list items eventually, some time in the next 30, 40, or 50 years, but today I’m too busy, too tired, too poor, or too lazy.  It’s easy to just let your goal take a back seat.

Then last week, I went ahead and crossed something off my list.  Susie and I played craps at a casino, which let me meet my goal of learning how to place three separate bets at a craps table.  It was intimidating, and I lost $30 over all, but mostly it was fun.  We laughed, we learned, my heart beat a little fast, and my wife and I had something new to talk about for a few days.   It felt good to move that item to the “Complete” column of my bucket list.

The whole experience reminded me that I don’t want to wait forever to try the things I’m interested in doing.  I need to keep myself motivated right now.  There are plenty of other good motivators other than death.   For one, I’ll be turning 30 in October.  That’s a milestone right?  A time when people reflect and set new goals.  Instead of dreading it, why not charge toward a new decade in my life by ending my twenties with a year of memory making?  So I went to my bucket list and I picket out 10 goals I think are fun (and still reasonably accomplishable) goals for my ten months, and this is what I came up with:

Try Curling

Ride A Zipline

Go To A Hookah Lounge

Go To A Drive-In Movie

Go A Whole Week Without Using A Car

Fry A Turkey

Sky Dive

Get Down to my ideal BMI (21.5)

Learn How To Tie a Bow Tie

Pay For A Stranger’s Dinner

Over the next ten months, I plan to start tackling these items one by one, and I promise to post about each adventure as I complete it.  However, I don’t want to go this alone.  Adventures are always more fun with friends, so I’d like for you guys to share some of your own goals for the next years, and then promise that you’ll report back here or on your own blogs/websites/facebook too.

Some of your goals may be the same as mine, or they may be completely different, but I’d really love to see you chase them.  Will you join me?

25 Songs of Christmas: Day 25 Silent Night

Another holiday comes to a close. I hope your day was a wonderful as mine, and a tad more relaxing. Now, the company is gone, the toys stacked up as neatly as possible, the boy is in bed (if not asleep).  There’s nothing left but silent reflection on the blessings laid before me.

May the peace of Christ reign over you, now and always.

 

 

25 Songs of Christmas: Day 24 – Oh Holy Night

It’s Christmas Eve, the night divine.  This is my favorite night of the year.  In a sanctuary filled with golden light, 2000 some years after the fact I can still sense the coming of Christ and my soul feels its worth. It’s humbling, and awe inspiring.  I do want to fall on my knees and hear the angels voices.  His law is love and His gospel is peace, and I’m overwhelmed with both, my prayer is that you are too on this holy night.

25 Songs of Christmas: Day 23 – In The Bleak Midwinter

We’re getting down to the real heart of the season and in the true sense of Advent I seek to prepare myself for the coming birth of Christ, and His rebirth in my heart, or my rebirth through that love.   This is one of those songs that transcends the material and touches something deep inside me.  I’ve listened to several versions in the last half hour and could just about cry at each of them.  The lyrics are so beautiful, I feel the timeless threads weaving their way from centuries past and into my own consciousness.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a spiritual person, take a few moments to open yourself to the beauty and magic of this moment.  Close your eyes, breathe deeply, listen carefully. Do you feel the ancient spirit pushing at your heart?

25 songs of Christmas: Day 22 – Grown up Christmas List

More catching up here.

This song is sort of a modern day classic. I like how the idea of our Christmas dreams (hopefully) evolve as we grow up, but the hope we attach to them still remains magical. Lots of artist have good versions but this one was recommended to me on my facebook page and I really enjoyed it.  I hope you do too.

25 Songs of Christmas: Day 21 – I’ll be home for Christmas

Sorry I’ve fallen behind again.  Our Hanukkah celebrations got the better of me  We’ve had a great time skyping with friends from around the country and catching up with our families now that we’re home.   Being around the people we love is without a doubt one of the best parts of this season.  It’s a blessing to be able to afford to travel, its a blessing to have the job flexibility to take time off, its a blessing to be healthy enough to make a long trip, and its a blessing to have a safe welcoming place to come home to.

This time of year I’m so aware that not everyone shares those blessings with me.  I had tears in my eyes as I read about the last of our combat troops leaving Iraq this week, that’s a lot more people having the holidays with their families, but there’s still members of the armed forces scattered across the globe.  There’s people working for organizations that promote the peace, and the health and safety of others spread around the world.  There’s also firefighters, nurses, doctors and other essential professionals who work shifts away from their own celebration because they are needed.  There’s people who can’t afford a few days off, or a bus ride needed to get home.  There are people who are too sick, or overwhelmed to travel. There’s folks who aren’t welcome in the homes they once cherished and some who have no home to go to anymore.   If you’re one of those people, I want you to know, I’m thinking of you tonight, and you’re in my prayers always.

If only in my dreams…

 

25 Song of Christmas (er Hanukkah): Day 20 – Happy Joyous Hannukah

We made it safely to Illinois!  Susie is shopping with her mom and sister.  Jackie is making Christmas with my mom and I’ve just finished polishing the menorah.  The holidays abound here

Hanukkah will start tonight at sundown, and while we’re having our big celebration for the festival of lights on Thursday, I don’t want to wait another minute to share this toe-tapping tune.

Sorry the sound quality isn’t the best, but I think the energy of the live performance more than makes up for it.

Christmas: Day 19 – It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

Today we travel.  Not quite like wise men following a star, or reluctant travelers compelled by Caesar, but maybe somewhere in between.  We’ll drive for 11 hours to get to the people who make our holiday bright.  Along the way, we’ll keep our spirits bright and bodies alert, by singing along to our favorite carols.  I’m sure this one will be in the mix.

25 Songs of Christmas: Day 18 – One Child One Day

This morning I woke up in a bad mood.  We’d been up late the night before working on trip preparations and we still had so much to do before we leave early Monday morning.  To top it all off, we had to be at church two hours early to run through dress rehearsals for the kids Christmas play.  Don’t get me wrong, normally I’d find that fun, but today I just didn’t have time.

I grumbled through breakfast and snapped at Jackie when we refused to turn off the TV.  I had to nudge him across the parking lot in the snow because my hands were too full of pampered chef deliveries to hold him, and he wouldn’t sit still long enough for me to get him out of his coat. Then he ran off without me while I hung it up. It was a mess and I was frazzled.  I just wanted to sit down and take a deep breath but suddenly Jackie came racing back out of the Sunday School room.  I barely caught him by the shirt sleeve, and said “What are you doing?”

He looked up from under the bill of his Chicken hat ( yes I said chicken hat, he was a baby chicken in the play) and excitedly said “Mommy, I just want to see Baby Jesus.”

That child.  He has the greatest way of reminding me what’s really important.

and just in case you were wondering how the Christmas play turned out…

25 Songs of Christmas: Day 17 – Little Drummer Boy

Here’s one of Jackson’s favorite Christmas songs.  He calls it puh-rump-pa-pum-pum.  It makes me smile every time I hear it.

And another little bonus, here’s Jackie boy playing along last year.