What To Do?

I’ve been leaning forward a lot the past 10 years. I had almost forgotten about how to lean back and relax...or how to do things just for me. Even the activities that seem like recreation were actually just me being obsessive-compulsive to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Ever seen someone try to play every variation of Free Cell to prove that every one was beatable? I made it to over a 1500 before I forced myself to quit.

It has just been over the past 6-12 months that I have started to learn how to live more for myself. In that vein, here are the things that I have always wanted to do. I have 40-50 years to go.

1. Join the Peace Corps. Preferably in a country that is so rustic that I feel like it is 1870. I would love to experience that. I suspect that I will benefit more than the people I am there to “help”.

2. Have my kids get a Bachelor’s degree without any debt. I might have to sell my house and use the equity, but it will be worth it. Maybe that would be a good time to join the Peace Corps…

3. Go to law school. I doubt that I will become a lawyer, but I want to understand the law just a tad better. I don’t really want to have my life become an episode of LA Law. Unless Susan Dey……never mind.

4. Do anything in Germany for about a year. Okay, I’ve already done this one, but Lisa hasn’t. She is in love with Germany and I am in love with watching her.

5. Teach. Some of it should be in a college and some should be at a high school.

6. Work on a presidential campaign. This one will be tricky since it has to be for a candidate that I truly believe in. Not just one that the party elders deemed was “electable”. I just hope there is one candidate in the next 40 years I can say that about.

7. Learn Chinese Mandarin. I learned Russian during the cold war. Since China is destined to be the next (maybe only) superpower, I might as well be ahead of the game.

8. Build a solar/wind powered house in Wyoming. There will also be a solar greenhouse. I want to make a run at trying to live of the grid in a completely self-sufficient manner.

9. Run a marathon in every state plus DC. (The Marine Corps Marathon in October is in Virginia and DC, but it counts as DC. No arguments, I’m the only one keeping score.)

Will I get it all done? Probably not. Especially since I reserve the right to expand and contract this list. Let’s talk in 20 and see where I’m at.