50 things to do before I die

1. Own a hammock and swing in it all spring.
2. Plant and maintain a vegetable and herb garden.
3. Buy my own home, one with a front porch and a rocking chair and copious natural light.
4. Brew my own beer.
5. Drink Guinness at a pub in Ireland.
6. See Led Zeppelin perform live.
7. Travel to Greece and Italy. And Egypt and Morocco. And India and China. And Australia and New Zealand. And…ok, I’m stopping. But definitely Greece and Italy.
8. Open my business and make it wildly successful.
9. Become fluent in another language.
10. Play viola in an ensemble again (symphony, quartet, whatever).
11. Join a food co-op.
12. Actually take the time to learn yoga and apply its principles to my everyday life.
13. Learn how to ride a horse.
14. Sew an article of clothing.
15. Attend a Wimbledon tennis match.
16. Travel for a month straight…road trip, backpacking excursion, etc.
17. Send a message in a bottle.
18. Attend a musical performance in Vienna.
19. Plant a tree (preferably a fruit tree, in my own backyard).
20. Take a long train journey to somewhere exciting.
21. Spend my birthday / New Year’s in another country.
22. Ask someone out on a date.
23. Go on a rollercoaster tour of the US.
24. Get into peak physical shape just once.
25. Run or bike in a charity event.
26. Visit a blues bar in Chicago.
27. Attend a music festival like Coachella or Bonnaroo.
28. Photograph a rare bird.
29. Attend the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with my mom.
30. Go on a California wine tour.
31. Visit Trinidad & Tobago.
32. Attend an opera performance at La Scala.
33. See an American Ballet Theatre performance in New York.
34. Walk through an Amazonian rain forest.
35. Memorize my 10 favorite poems.
36. Fall hopelessly in love, no second-guessing or hesitation.
37. Build something cool with my own two hands.
38. Watch a sunrise and sunset on the same day, preferably on a secluded coast somewhere.
39. Go to a major film festival (Cannes, Venice, Sundance).
40. Eat Indian food in India…Greek food in Greece…Lebanese food in Lebanon…etc.
41. Learn to tell a joke.
42. Visit Machu Picchu.
43. Learn to dance, once and for all.
44. Go to a Fancy Food Show.
45. Sell something I’ve made to someone who doesn’t know me.
46. Learn how to invest money wisely and actually, you know, do it.
47. Learn enough to navigate Photoshop on a basic level.
48. Teach a class.
49. Buy a significant piece of art.
50. Identify at least 50 things that make me happy, print them out, and refer to them any time I need a reminder.