March 11, 2011

Bucket List Blogfest: 5 Things

Today is the Bucket List Blogfest, hosted by Mo at Swim - Write - Run.

The purpose is to list 5 things you'd like to achieve before you kick the bucket.

I met 2 of my biggest Bucket List goals in 2010 (finishing a novel and going to London), so I'm still kind of deciding on new long-term goals (hey, they're harder to come up with than you might think!). However, here are my 5 biggest goals:

Travel as much as possible.
Specifically, I want to spend a couple weeks in Paris, and I'd love to backpack across Europe. Also on my list are Hawaii, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Athens, Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, and somewhere with perfect turquoise water.

See games at all 30 Major League Baseball parks.
So far, I've seen games at Camden Yards, (the new) Yankee Stadium, Nationals Park, and (being a huge Red Sox fan) Fenway Park. One of my goals was to see a Yankees @ Red Sox game, and Bear and I did this in 2009. :)

Visit Auschwitz-Birkenau. 
This sounds morbid, but I am a firm believer in the phrase, "Those who fail to remember history are condemned to repeat it." What occurred at Auschwitz is one of the greatest examples of evil the world has ever seen, and I feel by seeing it firsthand I would not only be enriching my understanding but paying tribute to those who lived and died within the camp. I felt the same way about visiting Ground Zero, which Bear and I visited in 2009.

YA Highwayer Kristin Halbrook visited Auschwitz-Birkenau last year and blogged about her experience. It is a post I highly recommend reading.

Give back.
Continue to support Wounded Warrior Project and other charities that aids veterans and their families, especially veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, whom will always hold a special place in my heart.

Do my best, be kind, love.
Since 9/11, I've become keenly aware of the profound suffering in the United States and abroad. I want to live a life that hurts as few people as possible, attempting whenever I can to make others' lives better. I want to grow closer to God. I want to represent the Christian faith in a positive light. I want to represent myself and my family in a positive light. I want to do right by my parents, my siblings, and the rest of my family. I want to continue to be a loving wife, hopefully mastering my temper and other flaws as I grow older. Mostly, I want to spend my life surrounded by loved ones.

In the end, I want to try to live like this:
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
-Mother Teresa

My prayers are with the people of Japan and all others affected by the devastation unfolding today.

12 comments:

Kristin Halbrook said...

This is a great list! I totally agree with travel more (always a goal of mine!), serve others (in whatever capacity fits you best), and try to live the best life possible. I love the poem you quoted; reading things like that inspire me on a daily basis. There is so much beauty to offer the world within each of us, and it saddens me that so many hide it away. :( I love your baseball goal, too!!! I could be down with that, so long as I catch as many Angels games on the road as possible. ;) Thank you so much for the shout-out. That was a tough post to write, but I'm glad I was able to share my travels and feelings with you. <3

Tristi Pinkston said...

I'm here by way of the blog fest - great to meet you!

I loved your list. Thank you for sharing it. I also very much appreciated the Mother Teresa quote - it really resonated with me on a lot of levels.

Mo said...

What a really excellent and touching list! Thanks for participating :) Also, congratulations on meeting two of your goals in 2010!

Hannah Jenny said...

Wow. Thanks for sharing these thoughts!

I don't really have a bucket list--if I did, it would have silly things in it, like reading one of the great Russian novels IN RUSSIAN (part that makes this really silly? My current Russian knowledge is limited to "da" and "nyet").

Jen said...

Great list, Abby! I found my way here from the blogfest too. Isn't it great to scratch stuff off those lists? It's fun to build them back up again, as well. Nothing quite like that feeling of "What's next?!" (and feeling ready for it).

Erinn said...

absolutely beautiful, in a meaningful and thought provoking way.

Marie Rearden said...

Beautiful, inspiring post. I want to travel as well, and I've set my sights on Paris. Good luck with your list!

Marie, http://marierearden.blogspot.com

Trisha said...

The Japan earthquake is horrific :(

Nice list!

Aleeza said...

great list, abby! :)

Pam Harris said...

Your list is WAY more mature than mine would be. :)

Annette Renee White said...

I got to visit Niagra Falls and was amazed by it's beauty! It's a great place to have on your bucket list!

Alicia Gregoire said...

Great list. I agree with Pam on yours being way more mature. (Training my cats to do chores is on my after all.)

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