What's on your Bucket List

I was watching Oprah the other day and was intrigued by the 4 young guests from Canada and their reason for appearing on her show. This group of young men, started their own "bucket list" not on any premise that they were embarking on the final years of their lives but merely to seek out and live their lives to the fullest.

"Relying on goodwill, guts and gumption Duncan, Ben, Dave and Jonnie travel the globe in a purple transit bus to complete a list of ‘100 things to do before you die’ and to help and encourage others to go after their own lists."

Their show, The Buried Life which airs on MTV, was inspired from the 1852 poem written by Matthew Arnold. A poem which expresses "A thirst to spend our fire and restless force, In tracking out our true, original course", inspired this dynamic foursome to travel across the United States (#25 on their list) and fulfill not only their own dreams but others as well. For each item that they check off their own list, they will help a stranger accomplish a goal of their own. This is truly not only an inspiration to accomplish ones own personal goals to live "out loud" but a testament to paying it forward as well. It is about uncovering day-to-day trials that "bury our lives" and learning to evaluate our own dreams.

The List, includes simple things like #7 plant a tree and #52 go on a blind date and my personal favorite #29 scream at the top of your lungs (oh I am so adding this to my list). There are also a few items that take gumption and determination like #1 open the six o'clock news, #68 swim with sharks (now that one gives me the heebie jeebies - I'll personally pass on that one) and #95 play ball with president Obama (which by the way they accomplished). They actually posted in their blog "The Complete, Unofficial Guide to Playing Basketball With the President" that they put that one down because it "was the most impossible thing that (we) could think of". That standalone phrase sais it all. Life is about embarking upon the simplest things that we take for granted as well as challenging ourselves to our most impossible dreams.

We all get wrapped up in the monotony of our daily lives and the what we are "supposed to do's". For many of us we are chasing the 5 and 10 year goals that we set for ourselves some time ago and focusing only on how to get there. And for many of us those 5/10 year "plans" include the generic "own my first home", "get married and "start a family". I'll bet my measly savings account that a small percentage have actually tapped into their authentic selves and added things like "splash in the biggest puddle I can find with my kids on a rainy day" or "interview my favorite author (whoever that may be at the time)" or even simply "knit a scarf". We rarely tap into our own souls until we are either at a crossroads or rock bottom.  Why wait until the universe hands us the inevitable? Why aren't we rethinking our life goals to include what our spirits are telling us we want to experience and not just what we think we should be experiencing. Food for thought right?!.

So what is your "Life List"? Have you accomplished the items on your 5/10 year plan? Have you ever thought about revisiting that list and making a few alterations? I say now is the best time to do that. I am going to challenge myself and start a list. I challenge you start your own list and start living out loud!

(the start of...) MY LIFE LIST

1. Marry my soulmate

2. Make a six figure salary (working on this one again)

3. Go back to school

4. Take my family to Hawaii
5. Publish an article
6. Purchase a home in the mountains
7. Be a part of something bigger than myself (i.e. help others in need, give back to a charity)
8. Go on a cruise
9. Grow my own garden
10. Live in a house with a window seat
11. Learn to read music
12. Learn to meditate...I mean really meditate (OOOMMMMMM)
13. Sit down and have a heart-to-heart with my brother Ian
14. Swim with dolphins
15. Go whale watching


(Oh my gosh this really makes you think...) Stay tuned..........

What to do on a rainy day

What to do on a rainy day. Rainy days are often given to us as a hall pass to do nothing. Staying in your pajamas all day has never been so excepted than on rainy days. Grazing on comfort foods until you are so full you need to take a nap is a little luxury given to us only on rainy days. Renting movies that you refused to pay $10.00 for in the theater are usually first on the list. And hey, where do you think all of those crafty moms out there first discovered there talents. You guessed it....on a rainy day.

So what to do on a rainy day. I am reading books to my 3 year old. I am watching her dance around in her favorite princess nightgown (that by the way...has seen better days). I am watching her tuck in almost every stuffed animal she has into blankets and lay them all over the house, because they are not exempt from rainy day luxuries either. I am contemplating if I want to bake cupcakes that I so desperately want but so desperately DON'T need. I am finding comfort and peace in vacumming every nook and cranny in the house because, well thats what I do on rainy days.

What to do on a rainy day!

Mommy...this one's for you.

I am grabbing the essence of this before my baby hits her teen years and writes a different story about me. Before I realize that I need to start saving pennies, not for a rainy day or for an ivy league college but for the co-payments on her therapy sessions for the abuse that she will most certainly convince herself of that I put her through. Thats inevitable right?! She WILL despise me one day..I am most certain of it.



But wait...maybe there is some hope on the horizon after all.



As she put her pencil to her notebook, there was nothing but silence from the backseat as we made our 1,385,264th drive through Vasco's neverending 2 lane road. She had already written about becoming the most famous, most "rediculously" rich, sought after "creator" of the one and only Rainbow Caramel Fudge Ice Cream that "everyone from around the world would just go nuts for one cup of this ice cream" and about her "Robot Creation" that would do everything for her, so I could only imagine what would come next. (yes I realize that was a run on sentence...SUE ME). So 5, 4th grader paragraphs later, there it was. The Ode of all Ode's.







............MY MOM...........



My mom is kind, sweet, caring and loving. She helps me out with my problems whenever I'm feeling really sad or just a little blue.



Whenever she picks me up from school or daycare she picks me up on time, everytime. (she even punctuated it correctly..ohhhhh i am so proud right now). She's always being so close with me when we are having a conversation(s). (yes she really did do the (s) thing) Also she always takes care of me all of the time. She is always there for me.



She is a smart, responsible, funny and helarious person. (seriously..I did not pay her $$ for this one) She would always be fun by taking me to fun places.



She is the bestest mom ever. No other mom can beat her, ever. (I know...really?!) She rocks off my socks. (you hear it here first people)



She always folds my laundry, but of course I still help her because she is my mom. Sometimes when I am very good, she will either take me somewhere cool or fun. OR, she would get me or give me something.



She is just so amazing to me. Everything she does is amazing and I just love it. Also, she is always turning up the good songs in the car or in the house so I can have fun and dance or when she is cooking me something.



She has another daughter named Emma, she's my sister and she is about two or three feet and she has light-white skin. She has curly, dark red hair and crystal clear blue eyes. (yes I now I make them beautiful). She is so adorable and funny.



And the rest about my mom is that she is about 5ft4 and she has almost dirty blonde hair. (WHEW..thank you baby for not GUESSING mommy's weight...kisses). She even has beautiful eyes and a cute smile. I love her more than chocolate or anything else. The End.



Now explain to me how you don't cherish this moment. How you don't thank your lucky stars that God placed this little morsel of wonderment into your life. This little spiral notebook, one page, Ode to her mommy made for the most perfect moment in a not so perfect world. Thank you Brianna for being mommy's Morsel of Wonderment.

DOH......Busted!

So I am officially "One of those people". I am only admitting it because I got caught. Yes Red Handed. And there was no way to play it off. So this is how it played out....

So it was the first time in 3 days that I actually ventured out of the house. My other half had been in his 2 day - 20 hour mortgage corporate licensing class (Oh joy doesn't that sound like super fun) and I was nursing a sick 2 and half year old who has, during this time, has shared her germs with me (cough-cough). So I decided it was time to throw on some sweats, a grungy t-shirt and throw my hair in a messy bun (oh and don't be fooled..its not the cute messy bun that all the 20 somethings seem to pull off..oh no...I really mean messy) and head out to one of my favorite grocery establishments - Trader Joe's. I know...I mention its one of my favorites and yet I still don't dress up for it. Shows my dedication right? Imagine how my husband feels since this is my usual attire these days.

So I am there for a few things. The husband is craving warm organic tomato soup (MMMM our favorite) with shaved parm and garlic croutons along with a grilled sourdough havarti and honey sandwich (a little plug for my culinary skills hee-hee). So since I am there, I do have a few other items on the list that need to make it into my basket. So as I glide down the coffee / tea aisle (yes I glide...at least that is how I felt it was going down) and past the sample station I decided on some cough and cold tea to take home and enjoy since I am currently banned from Nyquil until the little one sleeps through the night (yes I am aware that she is almost 3 but she has a tendancy to wander into our bed 27 days out of the month). Pleased with my selection, I made it through the frozen section, popped a few items in the basket and headed over to the chip / breakfast / baking aisle (that covers quite a bit of items don't ya think?). Now see for the past 2 aisles I had been contemplating the tea that was staring back at me like it just wasn't quite sure it was going to hold up its end of the bargain. I was having that ping pong conversation in my head that takes place almost every time I buy something that's NOT on the list (Karma do you really need this? Well I really think I do..it sounds so comforting before I go to bed. Yeah..but don't you already have similar tea in the cupboard at home? Probably but its not that same..I need this one). Lets just say the tea didn't stand a chance in the end. So as I shimmied down the chip / breakfast / baking aisle (see I glided down the coffee / tea aisle its only fair that I now shimmy - sais me). And this is where it happened. As I picked up the bag of jumbo sourdough garlic croutons I made the swap. I put the box of tea in its place.....no one would notice...I was so sly..that kind of tit for tat motion that pretty much makes it past the average human eye.

Then.....SWIPE!!!!!!!! That NOT SO AVERAGE Trader Joe's employee that was not accounted for in my perfect swap scenario quickly grabbed that box of tea before it could settle into a new home near the vanilla extract and no pudge brownie mix and before I could make a clean get away. No words were exchanged. I knew his intention...he was headed to put the tea back in its original, correct resting place. I caught him in my peripheral vision and he turned and walked away like a Traders Joe's Batman probably cursing me and my messy bun. He totally threw off my swagger though. I was mortified. Only because I got caught.

So now my real dilemma...make it through checkout without him opening up a new register and yelling "Maam..I'll take you over here if you're ready".

Continuation of the Status Quo?

So today's Tarot reads:

"Death ReversedTransformation held back or delayed. Inability to let go of something or someone. Change averted. A continuation of the status quo. Old energy keeps things stagnant for a while longer. Relationship or job remains unchanged. Stuck. Desire to keep things the way they are at cost of new possibilities. Intimidated by future influences. Timidity. Not the time to trust your own feelings. Something else will be revealed. Wait for it."

If I was a true horoscope, tarot, 1-800 psychic hotline believer I would probably base the rest of my day on this cryptic message....but I'm not. Oh no...I'm level headed and optimistic. But you still have to wonder why I have a scrolling tarot reader on my facebook page to remind me of my cosmic intertwinings each day. Because apparently I need a daily computer generated "this is your fate" slap in the face. But seriously, it's all in fun but you have to sometimes wonder why some days it just seems so on point.

So this is how I am taking today's message. I am a true believer that we are our own creators. No not the big picture sort of creator (that's way bigger than us) but our daily script. We are the writers. Do you ever wonder how some people seem to have "all the luck" and others just seem to attract all of the bad luck those "lucky" ones deferred? My belief and my experiences allow me to understand these phenomenons. We are constantly surrounded by and creating energy. Energy that will ultimately manifest itself. So we must choose, by our thoughts and words, how that energy will be manifested. It's amazing how by simply shifting the course of our thoughts, allowing yourself to feel that shift, changes can take place almost instantly. It's so simple actually that our pessimism becomes instantly stimulated and knocks at our door. And how often are we answering?

I am going to take my computer generated message and take it as a wake up call actually. In actuality it is pretty accurate today. I am stuck in "status quo" lately. I can see changes on the horizon but I am having a hard time feeling it. I am in fact writing my script with stagnant energy. I have completley mistrusted my own feelings lately and let me tell you....I am allowing for some really unwanted manifestations to take place. Well I am truly ready for great things to happen. Or should I say continue to happen as they are already in progress, I just need to answer a different door and accept the offerings.

I Finally Hit the RESET Button

Man.......was 2009 rediculous or what?!!! I can remember vividly turning the 2008 corner and thinking "WHOA...2009 will have to better". But I missed one crutial step in the process.........




Why is it that every New Year you would think that we all swallowed a placebo pill. We beleive that everything is just going to magically "change"....we are going to look better, feel better, that money tree we planted years ago is finally going to thrust from the soil and shake its offerings into our banks accounts. There seems to be an imaginary RESET button that we subconsciously hit on January 1st. Well....my sugar free red bull must not have manifested my wings yet the morning of January 01, 2009 when I reached over to hit RESET - I HIT REPLAY!!!! WHAT???? ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? REALLY!




And there are no do-overs only deal-with-it's!




So I had a plan this year. I enrolled myself in the "change of mindset" bootcamp around 3rd quarter of 2009 (and you know how boot camp feels.....its sucks), I started my visualization techniques (for a while there I wasn't sure if I was on track or just hellucinating) and I stocked up my catastrophe cabinet. There was no way in HECK that I was going to miss my RESET Button Pushing debut come 01/01/10. Are you kidding me? not only is it a new year...its a new decade people...I'm getting with the program. I AM going to look better...I AM going to feel better and lord knows I do not have a green thumb (I've been known to kill silk plants even)...but I'll be darned if that money tree I planted decides not to bless us with its fruit.



So I am pleased to announce that after all that was endured I have learned my lesson and not only did I hit the RESET button....I whacked the Hell out of it!

I could really use a cupcake.....

So I never make New Years Resolutions. There like rules that you know will be broken at least 3-4 months into a new year. Now that doesn't mean I don't have mantra's that I am constantly torturing myself with daily...little mind missiles reminding me that something needs to get done. Each year tends to play rollover....if i didn't get to one task the year before it just banks itself for the next. Needless to say, my mantra bank is it's own 401k. I should have plenty to do t his year to keep me busy right?!

Well let's see.....I need to quit biting my nails, write more and worry less, learn how to actually have patience and quit faking it, continue to research EVERYTHING but not to the level of obsession, decide if I want to be a blonde or a brunette (thats a rollover for sure), finally take my state test for my RE License but not fall into the trap of selling, oh.....and the preverbial LOSE WEIGHT. There I said it outloud (technically) so that means it has to be done. Besides..it would be great to file that one away...mark it Complete....and get busy on my other mantra's.

So, here we go.....here's to not eating the kids leftovers, steering clear of all of the offerings that the office kitchen has to offer, and of course not find, create or even makeup reasons to bake scrumptious goodies with the excuse "but the kids will be home this weekend".

Did I mention...I could really use a cupcake right now?!