My Next Project

Today I worked, I walked, I'm writing, I have a glass of wine and homemade wockamole. I love being an adult. I can eat what I want for dinner - and this is it. I can play letter games or roll my eyes because someone else does it.

A few years ago I had a crap boss. (I've been fortunate and that label in my life has been limited.) He gave me an interesting gift once though. It was a little spiral notebook and the cover was dark green crushed velvet. He said it reminded me of him. I did NOT ask for the correlation. But....

One day, I was so overwhelmed by sadness in my marriage. I took my little book, some flourescent highlighters, red licorice laces, Pez, my Walkman cassette player and went to the beach. I drew pictures of things I saw. Yes, wtih highlighters. I don't recall crying, but I do remember feeling very, very alone, but also knowing that I would somehow, with my little book and bright markers, be OK. In that book, I wrote down observations of couples very much in love, some billboard comments, stuff I made up: When Harry met Sally it wasn't time, etc. I made a list of a dozen or so things I wanted to do some day.

After I completed my juvenile adventure, I took off in the car down a road that followed the waterfront. I ended up somewhere near Tacoma. Via backroads that's pretty damn impressive.

When I got home I was asked what I did that day. I explained it. "Why would you do something like that?"

Things like going to the Issaquah zoo, flying to a Barry Manilow concert, be skinny so I could priouette, etc. Later I had included seeing Barry in Vegas. And I did - I was invited to his PBS special taping in December 2005. Later I added things I wanted to do after my youngest daughter left home.

Some of these things I've done. With some of them the meaning has changed. I think now, I would add more exotic places and probably some service projects (like Mexico next year). Some are silly, some are grand.

My mother died in 1993 when she was 76. Lots of my family seems to pass on in their 70's.

I've started a blog that I will start working on when I get back. If I Live Until I'm 75. It has a count down counter - like my camino site does. I will know, based on this estimate, how many days, hours, minutes and seconds I have to live my life wholly. It isn't a death timer. Heavens - if I can keep up the fun, I want to sprint past our family's averages! What I want is a reminder that live is precious, special and my own canvas to paint it as I can. This life is a gift and I've been blessed time and time again. I don't want to forget and I don't want waste a single second of joy.

Bring on those markers folks....we have something special to start creating!