"To Do"

I really don't like the term "bucket list," as charming as it is. So this is the rough draft of my life's to do list, a.k.a. my list of selfish personal goals.

• Lead someone to the Lord

Maybe that sounds like a Sunday school statement, but I mean it so much it almost scares me to say it. Is there any greater blessing than that? I don't think so. 

• Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art

I have a healthy appreciation for art, but it's not nearly strong enough. I have never been to NYC, but ever since my mom read us The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler I have resolved that the Met needs to be graced by my presence.

• Be a vegetarian for a determinable amount of time

I really believe God created humans to be vegetarians, but we eat meat because of the Fall. That's an entirely different blog post for some time when I've read and researched more on the subject, but I am nevertheless intrigued by vegetarianism. 

• Read the 150 most taught works of literature

I value being well-read. And I don't have a good reason for it. Except that books and stories help us understand people better. And that fascinates me. I want to understand people as much as humanly possible. (The 150 most taught is defined according to my Spark Notes book.)

• Visit London

This has been a desperate aspiration of mine for so long, I have enough journal entries on this topic to wallpaper our upstairs bathroom. Every little thing about London fascinates me. 

• Memorize a book of the Bible

I feel so guilty in Sunday school when they talk about Hebrew school and how boys would memorize the entire Torah. I'm horrible at memorizing, but memorizing James 3 has really revolutionized my life in a way, and I want to memorize more. (Any suggestions?)

• Go a year without buying myself clothes

The closest I think I will ever get to being a hippy (which was originally on the to do list, but I'm all about practicality!) Americans, we're so rich. I don't need all the clothes I have. There must be a time for me to live like I actually understand that.

• Have a stranger to dinner 

Something that my parents have worked hard at is hospitality, and I think it's something that's a central tenet of Christian love that I don't completely understand. So in a Hebrews 13:2 fashion, I figure I ought to make hospitality a tangible goal.

• Pay in exact change when I buy something

I have this perpetual fear of exact change. I always over-pay because I'm too lazy to count out the exact money and in too much of a rush to stand there and count it out. It's degenerated into a kind of complex. I don't even count my change anymore. It's sad.

• Speak to a large group of people

This is infinitely more fun than speaking to a panel of three to seven judges. In a strange way, it's less scary and more personable. It's addictive. Maybe this is a particularly selfish goal, but given something actually meaningful to say, it's something I'd love to do.

• Donate blood & be an organ donor

I hate giving blood. But there must be a time for getting over being squeamish. And if I really believe that Christians should love unbelievers, I should live that. That includes self-sacrifice. (In a slightly morbid, kind of icky sort of way?) It saves lives. That's all I'm saying.

• Read the complete works of Shakespeare

I'm not into reading complete works, I like sticking to the stuff I know is good, but for Shakespeare I can justify it. This is precisely the kind of large challenge I hate, which is why it's on here. (But our copy of the complete works is lovely.)

• Be homeless for a determinable amount of time

How can I possible empathize with an minister to the homeless if I haven't the faintest idea of what they suffer? Who am I to offer comfort if I don't know what it's like. Jesus was homeless, why can't I try it?

Some of these things I've done already, some of them I know I'll be doing soon, and some of them I have doubts I'll ever be able to do. But that's the fun, right? While I can't reconcile myself to the incurable selfishness of my list, having goals makes me happy. And maybe God will let me meet some of them.

What are some of the things on your list?