Saturday, September 13, 2008

Life, in 225 Nutshells

I found this over at More Than Burnt Toast the other day, where Valli had detailed a list of 225 things that were viewed as natural highs. I read it with great interest - going back to school (and especially being in Psychology) has given me a brand-new appreciation for the wonderful things there are in life! There are so many things I'd love to do, but so many things I've done and I haven't even realized - sometimes it takes somebody else to clue you in to how fortunate you've really been in life!


The one thing I really wish I could do more than anything else today is have the power to obliterate all the nasty fruit flies living in our kitchen. I drew the line when I had to clean out our tomato basket and discovered - cringe - maggots at the bottom! G-R-O-S-S. I've set up a jar/funnel trap as per instructions found at Re-Nest, so with luck we can stop getting our protein through accidentally ingested bugs!

As with my recap of the "100 Things" lists, I'm bolding things I've done, crossing out things I'm never going to do, and italicizing things I would really love to do!
  1. Touched an iceberg (if glaciers count - Columbia icefields!)
  2. Slept under the stars (we're a camping family)
  3. Been a part of a hockey fight
  4. Changed a baby's diaper
  5. Watched a meteor shower
  6. Given more than you can afford to charity
  7. Swam with wild dolphins
  8. Climbed a mountain (never on foot)
  9. Held a tarantula (and never again)
  10. Said "I love you" and meant it (every day!)
  11. Bungee jumped
  12. Visited Paris
  13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (been on one boat when our neighbour's was struck!)
  14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise (didn't make it that long!)
  15. Seen the Northern Lights
  16. Gone to a huge sports game (hockey, baseball)
  17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
  18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (big surprise, right?)
  19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
  20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
  21. Had a pillow fight
  22. Bet on a winning horse (won $10)
  23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
  24. Built a snow fort
  25. Held a lamb
  26. Gone skinny dipping
  27. Taken an ice cold bath
  28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
  29. Seen a total eclipse
  30. Ridden a roller coaster (Rockin' Rollercoaster at WDW is the best!)
  31. Hit a home run
  32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
  33. Adopted an accent for fun (not for very long though!)
  34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
  35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
  36. Loved your job 90% of the time
  37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (once, would love it again!)
  38. Watched wild whales
  39. Gone rock climbing
  40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
  41. Gone sky diving
  42. Visited Ireland (ever since watching Laws of Attraction)
  43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
  44. Visited India
  45. Bench-pressed your own weight
  46. Milked a cow
  47. Alphabetized your personal files
  48. Ever worn a superhero costume
  49. Sung karaoke
  50. Lounged around in bed all day
  51. Gone scuba diving
  52. Kissed in the rain
  53. Played in the mud
  54. Gone to a drive-in theater
  55. Done something you should regret, but don't
  56. Visited the Great Wall of China
  57. Started a business
  58. Taken a martial arts class
  59. Been in a movie
  60. Gone without food for 3 days
  61. Made cookies from scratch (did today!)
  62. Won first prize in a costume contest
  63. Got flowers for no reason (thanks Andrew, and Mom, and Dad!)
  64. Been in a combat zone
  65. Spoken more than one language fluently
  66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
  67. Bounced a check
  68. Read - and understood - your credit report
  69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy (Rubik's cube!)
  70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did (one of my mom's ancestral relatives tried to burn down British parliament!)
  71. Called or written your Congress person (for Civics)
  72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
  73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
  74. Helped an animal give birth
  75. Been fired or laid off from a job
  76. Won money
  77. Broken a bone
  78. Ridden a motorcycle
  79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
  80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
  81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
  82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
  83. Eaten sushi (now I'm hungry!)
  84. Had your picture in the newspaper
  85. Read The Bible cover to cover
  86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
  87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
  88. Gone back to school (yay!)
  89. Changed your name
  90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
  91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
  92. Read The Iliad (only part)
  93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
  94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fish counts, Valli, I think!)
  95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
  96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
  97. Been elected to public office
  98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
  99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
  100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
  101. Had a booth at a street fair
  102. Dyed your hair
  103. Been a DJ
  104. Rocked a baby to sleep
  105. Dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
  106. Raked your carpet
  107. Brought out the best in people (hopefully!)
  108. Brought out the worst in people
  109. Worn a mood ring (child of the '90s, people!)
  110. Ridden a horse
  111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
  112. Prepared a dish where four people asked for the recipe
  113. Buried a child
  114. Gone to a Broadway play
  115. Been inside the pyramids
  116. Shot a basketball into a basket
  117. Danced at a disco
  118. Played in a band (school band!)
  119. Shot a bird
  120. Gone to an arboretum
  121. Tutored someone
  122. Ridden a train
  123. Brought an old fad back into style
  124. Eaten caviar
  125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
  126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
  127. Published a book
  128. Pieced a quilt
  129. Lived in an historic place
  130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage (used to be in dance, plus school plays!)
  131. Asked for a raise
  132. Made a hole-in-one
  133. Gone deep sea fishing
  134. Gone roller skating
  135. Run a marathon
  136. Learned to surf
  137. Invented something
  138. Flown first class
  139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
  140. Flown in a helicopter
  141. Visited Africa
  142. Sang a solo
  143. Gone spelunking
  144. Learned how to take a compliment
  145. Written a love-story
  146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
  147. Had your portrait painted
  148. Written a fan letter (J.K. Rowling!)
  149. Spent the night in something haunted
  150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
  151. Ran away (down the street, as a kid)
  152. Learned to juggle
  153. Been a boss
  154. Sat on a jury
  155. Lied about your weight
  156. Gone on a diet
  157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
  158. Written a poem
  159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
  160. Gotten food poisoning
  161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
  162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
  163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
  164. Gone to the opera
  165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
  166. Worn knickers
  167. Ridden in a limousine
  168. Attended the Olympics
  169. Can hula or waltz and polka.
  170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books (read and own all the original Nancy Drews)
  171. Been stuck in an elevator
  172. Had a revelatory dream
  173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
  174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
  175. Saved someone’s life
  176. Eaten raw whale
  177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
  178. Laughed till your side hurt
  179. Straddled the equator
  180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
  181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
  182. Sent a message in a bottle
  183. Spent the night in a hostel
  184. Been a cashier
  185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
  186. Joined a union
  187. Donated blood or plasma
  188. Built a campfire
  189. Kept a blog
  190. Had hives
  191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
  192. Made a Powerpoint presentation
  193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
  194. Served at a soup kitchen
  195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
  196. Know CPR
  197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
  198. Found a long lost friend
  199. Helped solve a crime
  200. Responded to a NJP newsletter
  201. Dove from a height of more than 60 feet
  202. Ridden a donkey
  203. Danced to the strains of bouzouki music, while drinking raki on a small island in Greece
  204. Taken a cooking class
  205. Seen your child graduate
  206. Been very proud of someone else's accomplishments
  207. Caught a fish
  208. Smelled a rose
  209. Eaten an heirloom tomato
  210. Cooked for more than 50
  211. Gone waterskiing, wakeboarding or tubing
  212. Owned a dog or a cat
  213. Celebrated a milestone birthday
  214. Had hemorrhoids...wink...wink...
  215. Hitchiked
  216. Walked out of a store without paying for something
  217. Helped a stranger
  218. Come in contact with a wild animal (bear, moose, deer, elk, cougar....)
  219. Seen the Pope, Prime Minister, President
  220. Piloted a plane
  221. Taken a ferry to Alaska
  222. Swam in the Dead Sea
  223. Visited the elderly in a care home
  224. Given birth

103... out of 124, because apparently I'm missing one... but I can't find it!

3 comments :

  1. I have lived twice as long as you Sarah so have had more time to accomplish all of these things. You are well on your way though to a fulfilling life:D

    ReplyDelete
  2. The one thing I really wish I could do more than anything else today is has the power to obliterate all the nasty fruit flies living in our kitchen.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really hate the fruit flies and especially when they are in my kitchen as I am very fond of cooking and like my kitchen to be very clean and thanks and do post more.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for the feedback!