Hobbies and Bucket Lists
At 29 years old, I figure I’m a quarter done with my time here (I'm planning on making it to 116, by the way), and such an estimation forces me to reflect on my accomplishments so far and how much distance separates me from my next mortal quarterly report. As I see it, I've
- married the perfect woman for me
- been published
- been to 42 states and 7 countries
- eaten a three-pound burrito
- presented at the largest conference in my field
- discovered a knack for technology
- learned to recite 169 countries in just under 2 minutes
- volunteered and made a difference
- defended a county spelling bee trophy (twice!)
- kayaked down the French Broad River
- taken a more-than-active interest in politics
- become an advocate for language
- performed a haka on a marae
- auditioned for Jeopardy
As you can see, my life (like this Web site) is a work-in-progress. What’s next? Hard to tell, but I can hazard a guess for inquiring minds, as I have:
- yet to earn my PhD
- yet to save a life
- yet to remember how to play the piano well
- yet to learn how to play the guitar even moderately well
- yet to become a father
- yet to master a foreign language
- yet to repair an aging house
- yet to drink a pint of Smithwick's in Ireland
- yet to win a karaoke contest in Japan (or South Korea in a pinch)
- yet to eat a four-pound burrito
- yet to discover “morainium,” the next addition to the periodic table and the element from which I'll derive my riches (narrowly edging out the element of surprise)
- yet to catch a foul ball at an MLB game
- yet to know when to stop making arbitrary lists
Check back in another 29 years to see how I’m doing.