Inspired by an incredible number of Life Lists out there, I’ve finally created my own. Included are experiences, goals and wishes that I want to fulfill over the course of my lifetime. I am declaring no rules, no time limits, and no required number of items. I plan to add to the list whenever inspiration strikes, and will most certainly share my progress here with you…
1. Win a game of chess. As of March 2011, had my (5-year-old) nephew teach me the basics, and he beat me every time we played!
2. Learn to enjoy public speaking. I don’t know if I enjoy it, but I’m certainly not terrified by it anymore.
3. Take swimming lessons (again). Done! I conquered my fears and passed a swimming test too.
4. Run a marathon. Done, twice!
5. Trek Kilimanjaro.
6. Earn my doctoral degree. Submitted in November 2014 and defended in February 2015.
7. Take a photography course.
8. Publish and/or display my photos.
9. Pass an official exam proving my German language skills. Done!
10. Learn how to drive stick.
11. Photograph the Northern Lights.
12. Visit Alaska.
13. Vacation in the Seychelles.
14. Trek through Nepal. Done!
15. Run long distances without knee pain. I’ve been rocking the half marathons this year without injury (knock on wood), thanks to my Run Less, Run Faster training plans.
16. Revise my retirement saving’s plan.
17. Spend a summer in a cabin in Western Montana like I did as a kid.
18. Take a bike tour through Germany.
19. Trade in my American driver’s license for a German one. Done!
20. Have my next tattoo done by Amanda Wachob or any equally awesome artist.
21. Create a book documenting my parents’ life. As of March 2013, the interviews are done and transcribed. Now just to turn it in a keepsake book.
22. Trace my family tree as far back as it can go.
23. Run a half marathon in under 2 hours. I’m getting closer and closer!
24. Take a road trip through the American South.
25. Walk along the Great Wall of China.
26. Eat sushi in Japan.
27. Grow a vegetable garden.
28. Publish one article on my fellowship research. Done!
29. Travel through Afghanistan.
30. Decrease the amount of refined sugar in my diet. (Not so interested in this one anymore.)
31. Do five pull-ups.
32. Ride a camel.
33. Photograph the Egyptian pyramids.
34. Read Goethe’s Faust in the original German.
35. Chase rainbows in New Zealand.
36. Practice yoga regularly for at least one month. Done! From October-November 2011, I took part in Marianne Eliott’s 30 Days of Yoga.
37. Learn how to make sushi at home.
38. Keep at least one flowering plant alive for a whole season. I’ve been doing my best, but I still don’t have a real green thumb.
39. Shake Obama’s hand.
40. Tour Budapest. Done!
41. Travel to Norway to meet the Norwegian side of my family. I spent March and April 2013 in Norway. Read about my adventures here!
42. Become conversant in another foreign language (other than German). Took a Norwegian-for-beginners course, and will hopefully keep learning once I’m back in Germany.
43. Earn my residency permit in Germany. As of January 2018, done!
44. Participate in an international Improv Everywhere mission.
45. Be credit card debt-free. Done! As of September 2012, I am officially credit card debt free for the first time in 15 years (and plan to stay that way). Woohoo! Living in Germany for the last 4 years — with a much more reasonable cost of living than New York — was an absolute lifesaver for my bank account. Relief.
46. Visit Ethiopia.
47. Photograph my way through India for at least a month.
48. Visit Thailand and eat the spiciest food I can find.
49. Learn the ins and outs of winetasting.
50. Sample 10 high end whiskies.
51. Hug Ben Harper.
52. Spend a weekend in Strasbourg, France.
53. Spend a weekend in Merano, Italy (inspired by This Non American Life).
54. Ride a gondola through the canals of Venice.
55. Return to East Africa for awhile.
56. Ride in a hot air balloon.
57. Participate in the Hood to Coast relay.
58. Make a trip to Copenhagen.
59. Hike the Grand Canyon.
60. Take a ride on Wuppertal’s Schwebebahn (floating tram).
61. Spend the weekend in Vienna. Done!
62. Travel to Morocco.
63. Master the crawl stroke. I’ve at least learned some of the basics, but still have a ways to go.
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Bold = in process
Strikethrough + Bold = done!
Last updated: January 2019