My Life List

Years ago, well before the term Bucket List was coined or the blogosphere existed, I read an essay by Stuart McLean about a man who, dismayed at the regret he saw in his parents and their peers, decided to make a list of the things he wanted to do in his lifetime and set out to accomplish them. That inspired me to start a list of my own. It’s very dynamic and I reserve the right to change it as I grow and evolve, but it’s always amazing what you can accomplish once you commit yourself to it.

My Life List

  • Visit all 7 continents before my 42nd birthday
  • Learn to surf
  • Write a book
  • Try karaoke
  • Learn to speak French properly
  • Learn to speak German properly
  • Learn Spanish
  • Learn Esperanto
  • Fly on an A380
  • Eat pancakes at the Hoito in Thunder Bay
  • Take some serious ukulele lessons in Hawaii
  • Find out the truth about my Chinese ancestry
  • Stay at Madonna Inn
  • Eat at Jack’s Cosmic Dogs
  • Try kitesurfing
  • Try hanggliding
  • Try skydiving
  • Compete on a roller-derby team
  • Celebrate Hogmannay in Edinburgh
  • Celebrate Guy Fawkes Night in Britain
  • Live abroad
  • Visit the Hermitage
  • Visit Taliesen
  • See a concert at Red Rocks
  • Visit all the places named in the song Get Your Kicks on Route 66
  • Attend ComicCon
  • Do the Big Lap
  • Take a road trip on Route 66
  • Publish something in National Geographic
  • Tour the Empire State Building
  • Visit the Grand Canyon and do the Skywalk
  • Make a quilt
  • Celebrate Day of the Dead in Mexico
  • Try long-track speedskating
  • Attend SXSW
  • Fly on a Lancaster
  • Stay at every ice hotel in existence
  • Busk on Grafton Street in Dublin
  • Visit the North Pole
  • Visit the South Pole
  • Traverse the Northwest Passage
  • Overwinter in Antarctica
  • Take a road trip across Canada
  • Visit all of Canada’s provinces and territories
  • Create a mural
  • Work on a Habitat for Humanity build
  • Buy and use an Around the World (RTW) ticket
  • Get shot out of a cannon
  • Go to trapeze school
  • Attend a tailgate party
  • Visit the Neon Museum
  • Fly in an Electra
  • Visit the Velveteria
  • Visit L’anse aux Meadows
  • See Polar Bears in the wild
  • See Pandas in the wild
  • Go whalewatching
  • Ride in a submarine
  • Experience Holi in India
  • Attend a music festival
  • Take a beach holiday
  • Attend an opera
  • Read all of the books on the 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read list
  • Tango in Buenos Aires
  • Visit Coca-Cola World
  • Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin
  • Attend the Pride Parade in Toronto
  • Visit Montreal
  • Attend a ballet
  • Eat at Garde Manger
  • Eat at The French Laundry
  • Eat at Frontera Grill and Topolobampo
  • Try bobsledding
  • Try snowshoeing
  • Ride in a hot air balloon
  • Learn to dance bhangra
  • Try queso rellenos in Merida
  • Try dogsledding
  • Visit Arcosanti
  • Visit Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump
  • Attend a pow-wow
  • Participate in a think tank
  • Wear a bowler hat
  • Watch a cricket match
  • Participate in a historical re-enactment
  • Learn to be a chocolatier
  • Become internet famous for something non-cringeworthy
  • Meet a female stuntperson
  • Jump off a cliff
  • Participate in a world record attempt
  • Learn to dance flamenco
  • Attend a Buffalo Bills game
  • Attend a lacrosse match
  • Attend Burning Man

Done:

  • Do the CN Tower Edgewalk
  • Visit the Prado
  • Visit Park Guell
  • Visit Easter Island
  • Visit Stonehenge
  • Visit the Pyramids
  • Celebrate Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney
  • Visit Antarctica
  • Eat at Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles
  • Photograph the Randy’s Donuts sign
  • Visit Luna Parc
  • Get my picture taken with the Sphinx
  • Attend the Earth Summit
  • Visit the Smithsonian
  • Visit Taliesen West
  • Visit the British Museum
  • Visit the Victoria & Albert Museum
  • Visit the Guggenheim
  • Visit the Museum of Modern Art
  • Visit the Egyptian Museum
  • Visit Pompeii and Herculaneum
  • Visit the Colosseum
  • Visit the Jell-O Museum
  • Hold a python
  • See penguins in the wild
  • Touch an iceberg
  • Go inside a volcano
  • Climb the Eiffel Tower
  • Take a spin on the London Eye
  • Learn to tango
  • Visit Fallingwater
  • Visit the Andy Warhol Museum
  • Ride in a helicopter
  • Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Boston
  • Try the wings at the Anchor Bar
  • Eat at Dinosaur BBQ
  • Stay at the Library Hotel
  • Eat at Lolita
  • Visit Book Thing of Baltimore
  • Tour the Library of Congress
  • Live with Mennonites
  • Visit Windsor Castle
  • Appear on television
  • March in the Santa Claus Parade
  • Try sake
  • Go on a chocolate tour
  • Go Zip-lining