a life's to do.

the closet is just going to have to wait.
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about two years ago, i started a word document i titled bucket list. but the document didn't just contain my life's to-do list; instead, it also held different lists: the books i had read and the months in which i had finished them, recipes i had tried and when i had attempted them, and the dates on which i had completed any bucket list item. for instance, become a registered nurse, february 2008; buy my own first new car, april 2010; go to a major league baseball game, august 2010. then, there are the to-dos left to do: go zip-lining, read the Bible from cover to cover, make my own bread. though some items were one-time experiences and could be checked off, others were ongoing, like my book list, the recipe list, and my daily journal, which i tried to keep up with fairly regularly (for whatever reason, this mini journal found its way into this same document). for the past several months, though, i have gotten away from my bucket list, my book list, my recipe list and the daily journal. i wanted to get back into the habit of keeping up with these writings, and i figured this month, in the spirit of organizing and decluttering (apparently, uncluttering and uncluttered are not words), was the perfect time to do it.

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so, i started looking over the bucket list to see if i had anything to check off since the last time i'd visited it, but i didn't have anything new to check off. i hadn't ridden in a hot air balloon or learned to drive a stick shift, and i still hadn't made my own pasta or traveled to italy. but that is okay with me. the list is there, and i have been checking it off since i created it, and i know i will continue to be able to check things off the list, and add more to it, as the days go by.

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then, i updated my book list with the books i had finished this year, adding heart of the matter and falling together, and soon, i'd be adding the happiness project. they joined a list of wonderful books from the last couple years, including water for elephants, beach music, eat pray love, a moveable feast, the last song, and so many others (and a very special one, family remains). and i already had books in mind to add to the list, including baby proof and stern men (as well as the books picked out in my new book club). on a side note, it's been a real joy having the time to read so much lately, especially on these rainy afternoons, with the windows open and the rain falling down outside. anyway.
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next, i decided to add to my recipe list, because there have been many new dishes i have tried in the last few months, and they most certainly needed to be on the list: roasted two-potato salad, artichoke and spinach grilled cheese, parmesan-crusted pork chops. who knows, may i might even add the low-calorie enchiladas (but probably not. i'd like to forget that cooking experience).

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now, the daily journal. i have to say, when i was keeping up with it regularly, it was fairly easy to do and stick with. i wouldn't write complete, descriptive sentences; instead, i would just write a short sentence or two, pointing out the major highlights in any given day, and sometimes, i would include my favorite phrases from a conversation or an email. i always love looking back on those days. i stopped adding to the journal in november. there was no reason for it, other than a busy semester, and then the holidays, and then, well, i just got out of the habit. but i'd like to get back into writing in that journal more regularly. starting today. and today's "entry" goes a little something like this: had lunch with julie at olive garden after work, read the happiness project, went to our first book club meeting with meg and casey, thunderstorm... i know one day, i'll be glad to have these memories, these moments, to look back on, all the while adding to my book list and recipe list... my life list.

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i also liked something i read in the happiness project about writing one sentence every day about the happiest moment of that day. i may decide to add that to my daily journal, i may not. either way, i am happy here.