"Life is a daring adventure, or nothing at all." Helen Keller

Last night some friends and I found ourselves lounging about comparing things we have never done before. Prior to this particular group of friends I had spent a good segment of my advancing years living…eclectically?

I dread these games. I was the girl in the crowd with the happy-go-lucky pluck… jump first, ask questions later.  Looking for a bundle of joie de vivre and broken bones wrapped in a pocketful of twizzlers? You found me.

Even so, the game progressed impressively, with the ten of us discovering that while none of us had ever had their tonsils out, about half had experienced a root canal. I will not attempt to entice you with the rest of the clandestine conversation. Instead, it brought me to the defining moment where I now find myself. Maybe it’s time for a quasi-“Bucket List”, get some goals set, make some plans. Do you have one? (I’d love to hear about it…)

10 Things I’d Like To Do Before Too Terribly Long

1.       Go on a Missions Trip (or two or three)

2.       Hike the state of Pennsylvania on the Appalachian Trail

3.       Learn to play flamenco guitar

4.       Snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef

5.       Sleep under the stars in the Grand Canyon

6.       Complete a full-sized quilt by hand

7.       Save The Monkeys

8.       Kiss a handsome man over Niagara Falls

9.       Participate in an archeological dig

10.   Witness and participate in significant moments in the lives of my children.

As my friend and Pastor, Joel Smith sometimes says “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “WOW! WHAT A RIDE!”