The List

Like many of you, I have a list of "Things to do Before I Die". Some items are simple, others more complex. Over the years, I've crossed off many items from my list but lately I've become complacent. In 2010, I'm going to once again tackle that list, one item per week.

Here are just some items that once only lived in the realm of my dreams and today are real memories:

√ Teach a class in my elementary school classroom
√ Pilot a plane
√ Fly in the cockpit of an airliner
√ Watch Wrestlemania live
√ Listen to Live Fado in Lisboa
√ Fly in a glider plane
√ Kiss a girl on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro
√ Watch a Leafs game from the front row
√ Run a business
√ Stand in Times Square and take in the energy of the place
√ Visit the Statue of Liberty
√ Get elected to a prestigious position (Elected to the Board of Directors of the CNE)
√ Watch a Blue Jays game from behind the plate @ the SkyDome
√ Learn to snowboard
√ Experience a day of embracing the winter (went snowshoeing, tobogganing, and ice skating in Trois-Rivi'ères Quebec)
√ Drink champagne from the Stanley Cup, kiss it!

To start, I'm going to try something noble: Help somebody achieve something on THEIR list. What's on your Bucket List? I'll do my best to help you achieve it.

Some upcoming items on my list:

- Learn to sail
- Obtain Pilot's license
- Sail across an ocean
- Publish a book
- Become fluent in French
- Go horse back riding
- Camp on Toronto's Centre Island, overlooking the city
- Watch Conan O'Brien, live
- Hot Air Balloon ride
- Watch live Space Shuttle launch
- Run a marathon
- Pay for somebody's groceries
- Help deliver a baby
- Plant a tree
- Help build a house
- Learn to play piano
- Dance with Ellen DeGeneres
- Go dog sledding
- Become a father
- Apologize to everybody I think I've hurt
- Send a disposable camera in a bottle
- See Earth from space
- Fly in a fighter plane
- Experience 0 gravity
- Ride a motorcycle across Canada, coast to coast
- Deliver a speech to a large audience
- Swim with dolphins
- Make a toast at a wedding
- Get in the Guinness Book of World Records
- Trek around the globe under my own control (flying, sailing, biking, driving, biking, walking)
- Finish The List, write a new one!

Some of these are easier than others and a handful will require time to accomplish but I'm confident that they're all going to eventually get crossed off!

Some of these are designed to push my limits, others simply to fulfill my dreams and desires. All of them will create memories that will make me smile when I'm old and wrinkly.