To Do or Not To Do

The new movie “The Bucket List” shows two men trying to suck the marrow out of life before they die. Their “to-do” list is ambitious, and has them jumping out of airplanes, visiting famous landmarks, and mending fences with relatives.

Today I came across a list in my house. It was written on the back of several envelopes and was called “Freindship Club.” Love that first grade spelling. My 6 year old daughter and her 7 year old cousin wrote a list of all the fun things they want to do together.

I thought about the girls’ list, and “The Bucket List,” and I wondered if making a new list of my own would be a good idea. After all, there are lists all around this house. Shopping lists, house projects, books I want to read, even store returns to make. My husband makes lists, too, and adds things as he does them so he can then cross them off and feel productive. I recently made a list of my interests and skills (the interest part was a lot longer than the skills), because I feel like the time has come to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by all the details on my lists, and by my inability to get anything crossed off, so I think maybe a shorter, more meaningful, list is in order for today:

1. Do my Bible study
2. Connect with an old friend by phone or email
3. Take the dog on a long walk, not just until she poops

If I manage to do these things, I think I will feel a whole lot better than if I just spent the day at Target tackling my shopping list. Also, I may peruse the little girls’ list again and see if anything strikes my fancy. I’ll include the list here for you, too, because it doesn’t look like a bad way to spend a day.

1. Plofite (pillow fight)
2. jump
3. stuft animals
4. sing
5. lafing (laughing)
6. tell scary stories (shown as illustration only)
7. tooting (shown as illustration only—is that my enormous rear??)
8. play with dolls
9. read
10. blow your nose
11. read stories
12. dance
13. jump on bed
14. act
15. bilding
16. being friends
17. loveing each other
18. be good

19. do a play