104 Things

Hi Friends,
  A few years ago a person I look up to gave the challenge to make a list of 103 things I wanted to accomplish during my lifetime. I started working on my list, but I felt like I couldn't possibly come up with that many things to do, so I enlisted the help of a very ambitious companion, and we made the list.  Some ideas were mine:  Go to the Victoria Secret Show in London and Paris. Some ideas were his: Dinner in New York, Breakfast in Stockholm. And a few were ideas we thought of simultaneously:  Ride a boat down the Mississippi like Huck Finn.
  The great thing about having help with this list is that it pushed me to set goals that I never would have had faith enough in myself to try for. Also, this list gave me things to work towards. Some were big, once in a lifetime goals:  Work on a project with Jessica Alba (by the way, if anyone knows her, I'm still waiting to accomplish that). And some were small:  Successfully grow a plant (NO, I have not accomplished that either.)  But it wasn't the size of the goal that mattered.  It was the idea that life is meant to be lived and lived fully. We were never meant to live to work to pay bills and do it all over again the next day, year, month, forever. No, God made us for bigger and better, but for some reason we play it safe, take mundane jobs, and fall into the same routine until we go to our final destination. I, for one, am not ok with that.
  Since writing that list almost three years ago, I have checked off 8 things from the list, including one that I did today. And the funny thing is, that no matter how small or inconsequential the thing may have seemed on the list, getting to add it to my list of life experiences has been exciting and fulfilling in it's own way. Today, I paid $6 to ride a camel for approximately two minutes. Was this earth shattering?  Nope. But was it awesome to say, "I did it." You bet.
  Some of the other goals I have checked off include, Publish a Book (Drake the Dragon April 2019), Make good cookies (No, I do not have any proof, and this will probably never happen again, so you will have to take my word for it...December 2017), Enjoy our wedding and reception (October 2016), Start a successful blog (What K.W.'s Thinking...April 2018), Take Aden to Disney (January 2019), and Ride a Banana Boat (August 2017).
   But a crazy thing happened on the day I decided to finally ride a Banana Boat. My husband and I happened to be the only passengers that morning, and so our driver decided to have a lot of fun, whipping around turns and flying over waves, trying to throw us off.  When we got a good distance from shore he stopped the ski do and asked us, "Do you want to jump off and go for a swim?"  Being that I'm not a great swimmer and also don't like water that I can't see the bottom of, I quickly shook my head no.  But that whole ride back to shore, and ever since that day I have had that moment burned into my brain.  You know why? Because I let fear stop me from a life experience.
  When I got home that night, I added a 104th item to my list, and I made a promise to myself.  If I ever get the chance again, I will not say no.  104 is, Swim in the open ocean.   You see, it's time we stop letting fear of the unknown hold us back from our lives. It's time we dove in with both feet and embraced the moments we've been given. I challenge you today to step beyond the wall of ordinary and live a life full of experiences, big and little. We were never made to live in fear.  So grab an adventurous friend, make a list, and chart a course for a more abundant life. I'll be out there chasing dreams and catching waves with you.  I can't wait to see you succeed.

~K.W.