An Interesting Find

     In my restlessness I was organizing some boxes that we still haven't unpacked from our move back in August (can you tell that we can't wait to move out of here?) when I came across the planner I used my senior year in high school. It had been touched by the flood that wrecked havoc on our basement last spring, so the pages had blended together and were water damaged. I briefly flipped through it and lo-and-behold, look what I came across:

If I remember correctly, the picture that seeped through from the other side of the page is a sketch I drew of John Steinbeck based on his portrait on the back of one of his books.

     Ladies and Gentleman, Stephanie's Senior Year Bucket List 2006! It goes all the way up to 100. It seems like high school senior Stephanie and college senior Stephanie still have some things in common.

Some things that are on the old bucket list that are already on the current one:

#1. Write a Memoir
#3. Visit all 50 states
#15. Donate hair to Locks of Love
#30. Own a House
#43. Take a Photo Every Day
#58. Send a Postcard to Postsecret

Some things that are on the old bucket list that I actually did, even though I forgot all about the list:

#14. Learn how to Cook Vietnamese Soup

#17. Go to a Concert

#21. Work in a Jewelry Department

#31. Go Scuba Diving

#35. Adopt an Abandoned Animal

#83. Start a Charm Bracelet

Some things that are silly:

#18. Make a Music video Featuring my Life or my Feelings

#51. Become a Grand Master at Suduko

#69. Never Turn Down an Opportunity to Try a New Food

#72. Get to the End of Endless Bejeweled

#90. Pet a Lion

#93. Try Camel Meat

A few things that I would like to add to my current list:

#37. Stand up for Something I Truly Believe In

#48. Identify 100 Things that Make Me Happy

#70. See the President in Person

#80. Love my Job

#82. Start a Family Tradition

#100. Pass on a Legacy

     A few comments: Something I found interesting was how subjective some of the items on the first list were. Maybe I've become too philosophical since high school, but what defines happiness? What is considered a legacy? If I love my job one day can I cross it off the list, and what if I love it but then end up hating it? I find the things on the new list are a bit easier to measure. It's easier to tell when I've graduated college or gotten a million dollars in assets.

    Before I came across this list I was debating whether or not I would allow myself to change my current list if I didn't want to do something on it in the future. I think that I have to allow myself that flexibility, else I would be stuck with a goal that may no longer be obtainable or enjoyable for me to strive for (ex. try camel meat??).