100 Things To Do Before I Die

These are things I want to do before time runs out.  My bucket list, if you will.  Some I have done before, but have not had the opportunity to do again since I have been sick.  I can’t imagine not experiencing them at least once more.

This is a great exercise for everyone, not just for those who are racing against failing health. Life is much brighter and more satisfying when you are goal-oriented and have something to look forward to.

In no particular order, here is my list:

1. Trace my roots to at least the 17th Century.
2. Learn to play “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” on the piano.
3. Sleep in a castle.
4. See a Broadway play in New York City.
5. Learn to make authentic shrimp fried rice.
6. Embroider a tablecloth.
7. Kiss the Blarney Stone.
8. Be an audience member at the Ellen and Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
9. Tour a pyramid.
10. Walk or Run in a marathon.
11. Design and landscape a garden.
12. Eat Swiss Chocolate from Switzerland.
13. Pet a hummingbird.
14. Learn to make zabaglione and tiramisu.
15. Go whale watching.
16. Make a marked difference in one person’s life.
17. Give a lecture.
18. Write a letter to the editor of Time Magazine.
19. Go on a week-long camping trip.
20. Detail a car.
21. Take an advanced ballroom dance class.
22. Visit Disneyworld.
23. Act in a full-length play.
24. Buy a hybrid.
25. Attend the ballet.
26. Write a children’s book.
27. Stay in a country inn.
28. Go horseback riding.
29. Design a furniture piece.
30. Create a perfume.
31. Eat a dozen white chocolate covered strawberries at Shoreline and Old Sac.
32. Visit Stonehenge.
33. Meet someone royal.
34. Learn how to paint.
35. Take a picture at the “Charmed” house.
36. Have a star named after me.
37. Publish one of my writings.
38. Cook my way through an entire cookbook.
39. Sail a boat.
40. Get a service dog.
41. Visit all 50 states.
42. Go to a professional sports event.
43. Get a doctorate.
44. Tour Hearst Castle.
45. Fly a plane.
46. Be an extra in a movie.
47. Visit Monticello.
48. Drive the entire length of PCH and Route 66.
49. Tour a vineyard.
50. Meet an astronaut.
51. Go to the Rodeo.
52. Visit the United Nations.
53. Go to the Renaissance Faire.
54. Get stranded on a desert island.
55. Meet a movie star.
56. Sit in a dugout with a baseball team.
57. Learn how to make candles.
58. Buy a pair of Ferragamo shoes.
59. Get snowed in during a blizzard.
60. Live in the country in the UK for a season.
61. See the fall leaves of New England.
62. Swim in Lake Michigan.
63. Visit a lighthouse in Maine.
64. Shadow an ER doctor for a day.
65. Ride every ride at Disneyland.
66. Visit an Art Nouveau House.
67. Make a grand entrance on a marble staircase.
68. Sing at a piano bar.
69. Become a foster parent.
70. Go on safari.
71. Rescue a pet from the pound.
72. Pet a dolphin.
73. Take a Transatlantic cruise.
74. Have tea with other writers at the Algonquin.
75. Take a Jane Austen Tour in Bath.
76. Window shop on Rodeo Dr.
77. Eat at the Boathouse in Central Park.
78. Visit NASA.
79. Watch a meteor shower in the desert.
80. Judge a chocolate cake contest.
81. Watch the Blue Angels in an Air Show.
82. Plant an oak tree.
83. Visit a southern plantation.
84. Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
85. Follow a Pioneer Trail.
86. Tour all the California Missions.
87. Learn Contra dancing.
88. Attend the opera.
89. Dance under a disco ball.
90. Pan for gold in Coloma.
91. Go to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
92. Wear a designer gown to a Hollywood event.
93. Learn how to make glass art.
94. Meet a famous chef or baker.
95. Watch a live ballroom dance competition.
96. Build a home movie theater.
97. Visit Amish country.
98. Go antiquing at a Flea Market.
99. Try a new food I wouldn’t normally try.
100. Ride a motorcycle.