Thursday, June 12, 2008

Z Bucket List

Recently, Tanner, Noah and I started a new Mother/Sons tradition of Monday night double features at the Dollar Movie Theatre. Yes, the seats need some mending, and yes the popcorn is a little stale compared to the $8 a movie theatres, but what can I say? The price is definitely right when you're a family of six on a budget.

We also discovered quite accidentally, that on Monday nights our local Dollar Theatre shows movies for 50¢ a piece, for groups of three or more. Noah just won a $15 gift certificate to this movie theatre and, at the 50¢ a piece night, translates to 10 movies a piece! Which in turn equals five nights of Mother/Sons double features, just enough to go every other Monday, which is when they are at our house, for the rest of the summer!

The last time we went we saw The Bucket List and The Spiderwick Chronicles. These were both Noah's choices because we were there to celebrate his 11th birthday. I chose the order however, because I figured Bucket List would be a little slow and Spiderwick a little more action filled, and it was going to be a long night with two movies.

I chose correctly.

We had fun, though they weren't my favorite movies I have ever seen. The Bucket List didn't get me all sappy and teary eyed as I thought it might. However it did inspire me to do some thinking about a sort of "Bucket List" of my own.

I have been tossing that idea around for a while, ever since seeing Elizabeth Gilbert on Oprah discussing her book, Eat, Pray, Love. She was so inspiring that they had her on twice within a few weeks or so, to follow up with audience members who had been inspired to rethink their priorities after hearing her speak or reading her book. In the first appearance, Gilbert suggested making a list of things we really want to try or experience in our lifetime; the kinds of things that we put off in order to do all the "less selfish" things we think we should do. A "things to do before I die" or, per the movie, a "before I kick the bucket" list.

So after hearing about said list from my Eat, Pray, Love Guru, then from the movie with the boys, then again this morning via my Step Mom support group friends, I decided it was time to make up mine.

So far it's up to 50, not the 100 that Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman had on their list. But I'm only 40 as opposed to their ripe old ages, and I'm sure by then I could easily think of a hundred or more.

So....

Here's Z's Bucket List- Fifty Things I would like to do in my 40's


1. Say no when I need to and yes when I want to

2. Create Space for meditation

3. Make my health a priority

4. Learn to love my body in its current state

5. Call my family and friends more often to tell them I love them

6. Send a real card in the real mail to a different friend once a week

7. Find more women friends my age

8. Go and sit alone for an afternoon in my late grandparents home in the country

9. Form a Step Mom Retreat

10. Finish writing my play, my novel, start my memoir

11. Forgive and let go of past hurts

12. Spend less time recording my life and more time living it

13. Visit my 93 year old grandmother, even though we’ve never been close

14. Visit my disabled brother and heal our relationship

15. Consume less (unhealthy foods, unnecessary goods, and energy resources)

16. Get a dog

17. Go for more walks

18. Go to lunch with my mom once a month

19. Audition for a play again for the first time in years

20. Go to matinées of foreign films alone

21. Read more fiction ( put down the self improvement books)

22. Take a writing class

23. Take a photography class

24. Learn to play my Seagull (acoustic guitar)

25. Take a tap dancing class again

26. Restart Voice lessons

27. Learn to belly dance

28. Take a cooking class

29. Start a garden- LEARN to garden!

30. Find a sitter two Sat nights a month for a date with my husband

31. Take ballroom dancing lessons with my Husband

32. Read a novel to my sons

33. Volunteer for a good cause

34. Volunteer for a good cause with each of my kids

35. Do a play with my kids

36. Start a young girls writing retreat with my SD

37. Do an artistic project with each of my kids

38. Teach my kids to each cook one meal from scratch

39. Take my kids to the drive in movies

40. Take my kids camping

41. Initiate steps to becoming a lay leader

42. Establish a budget for family fiscal health

43. Apply for my Masters in Religion at Meadville

44. Go to the ocean

45. Visit nearby summer festivals

46. Host a dinner party

47. Have a tea party

48. Have a cocktail party

49. Watch less TV

50. Reduce clutter in my life

6 comments:

Jason L Secrest said...

Hmm... I notice that in your list you have "Finish writing my play, my novel, start my memoir". Good luck.

I also noticed "Read more fiction ( put down the self improvement books)" and "Read a novel to my sons" I also noticed from your site that you seem to like books about God (that's wonderful by the way). I suggest C.S. Lewis's "The Chronicles Of Narnia" Lewis writes this FICTION in a way understandable by 11 YEAR OLDS, and if you pay attention you'll notice that most of what he writes is loaded with his insights about GOD AND HIS INTERACTIONS WITH US (tip: when ever you see the name Aslan start thinking about Jesus Christ and you'll figure out the rest pretty easily). Then if you want to read to yourself later pick up any of his overtly religious books. The man has some powerful insight. Anyhow, good list. Enjoy living it.

Anonymous said...

amazing how many of ours are similar - I haven't started a specific list, but I have started working a few of these already. we'll have to touch base!

Anonymous said...

I am surprised you didn't write about Peter Pan! A night at the theatre with 6 kids (ages 4 to almost 14was a real adventure!)
Maddie's many quests such as "do those pirates live in our town", were priceless! But the best one was "will you bring us here again?"
Answer: Yes! Marmee

Zen Davis said...

Thanks for the comments!

SAT (for schlange a. taube!) Thanks for the tips. I am well aware of CS Lewis and was in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, as a teen. I haven't read the series and can't get the kids to read it for the life of me. (Personally, I think between movies and dumbed down/high action/overstimulating writing that kids now don't have the patience to make it through exposition filled plot set up. They want immediate gratification. I'll never give up, but when both 13 year olds couldn't finish Something Wicked This Way Comes by Bradbury, I was shocked. Both kids said it was "BORING." I'm at a loss.

I have a few Lewis books on Christianity. I am not Christian in the traditional organized religious sense though, so I read more to learn religious history.

Thanks again for such a detailed comment!

Zen Davis said...

Hey BC my old friend!!!!!
Thanks so much for stopping by! I miss your blog, have you started a new one yet?

I think I remember you posting on this a while back, but I was too busy to think that hard. Still am, but nothing provokes reflection in life like hitting the next decade milestone!

Drop me a line soon!

Zen Davis said...

And to Janey D.....

Hey Marmee! Thanks for leaving a comment for the first time!!!!!

You get a prize.

Oh- wait. Your prize was already collected. It was my presence along with you, my three great nieces, my 11 and two thirteen year olds for a 2 plus hour play!!!! Peter Pan will be posted about.

I'm on a catch up post phase (still have to post about Company of Women and Meadville in Chicago, as well as Anna's cast free fashion statements!) It will have to wait until I get some pics of the girls with Peter Pan to post with it as well - hint hint. They're on YOUR camera. ;)

Thanks again for commenting my wonderful mamasita!