Wednesday, September 19, 2012

"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in"

Putting my life list down on paper - was different than I imagined.

I have always had an ongoing bucket list, mostly unwritten.

To write it down, put pen to paper, and own it publicly required some personal housekeeping.

What I needed was a new set of guidelines that made a safe space for dreaming, and a safe space for sharing dreams - dreams are tender, a lot of the time they go into hiding in bad weather.

Below is what I came up with :

If there were no deadlines
If there were no grades
If whatever I did, or didn't do, was fine
If this was an excercise in Play, Inspiration, Fantasy, and Infinite possibility
This is what I would list
On this day Sept. 14th 2012 
3 days after my 39th birthday

Here is the amazing part, after I wrote this, my list came out of my head and onto the paper.

  1. Fill a sketchbook for the sketchbook project
  2. Visit Catalina Island
  3. Stay on Nantucket, and ride a bike with a basket while there
  4. Read at least 7 poems by 5 poets that are new to me - Maria Howe
  5. Publish one of my small art books
  6. Photograph and display some of my art on-line
  7. Visit the Tate Modern Museum
  8. Go to the Storm King art center (sculpture park) in Mountainville New York
  9. See More Live theater, 5 plays in Ashland Oregon, 5 plays in New York City, 5 in London
  10. See Chagall's Ceiling in the Paris Opera House
  11. Hear Joshua Dudamel Conduct
  12. Hear Muti Conduct (Again)
  13. Visit the Chicago Art institute
  14. Attend Moth storytelling events in all of its' cities.
  15. Visit the Storycorps archive in the Library of Congress
  16. Make a point of seeing more of Hopper's paintings
  17. Visit Venice and eat a meal al fresco watching the boats on the canals
  18. Visit some natural hot springs in Japan
  19. Hear a live Bach choral work
  20. Dine at a Secret / occasional restaurant in S.F. and also New York
  21. Eat Shanghai Dumplings in Shanghai
  22. Stay in a Luxury hotel in Thailand
  23. Spend a night, and have dinner at the Awhanee Hotel in Yosemite
  24. Make a sand Castle, with all the trimmings
  25. Stay for a week on a quiet lake in a lodge with a big porch to sit and read on, and a tasty food right there, or an easy walk away
  26. Hear 5 talks lectures by people who interest me- Brene Brown, Ann Pattchett, ?, ?, ?
  27. Hear Tom Waits perform in a smallish venue
  28. Wander through the Paris Flea Market and purchas one small childs toy there.
  29. Hear an outdoor choral performance in Germany
  30. Take a one week retreat in ireland and stay somewhere with a beautiful view of green hills, and/or a lake
  31. Return to Tassajara and sit in the hot tub at night looking at the stars and listening to the creek
  32. Fly first class on a trip longer than an hour.
  33. Own a 1920's Stucco Bungalow without financial hardship
  34. Live easy walking distance from the bay
  35. Return to the the LA County Museum
  36. Find a Karaoke Song that I can nail and sing it loud
  37. Make flowers to transform things that I am ready to let go of done once with journal pages done a second time with tissue paper and affirmations
  38. Make a large piece of art roughly  the span of my arms x the span of my arms
  39. Have a photo session for myself in the style of Amelie (jeunet )
  40. Watch two versions of Bleak House
  41. Take a retreat to Breitenbush in Oregon and soak in their hot springs
  42. Join the local museums SFMOMA De Young/Legion of Honor
  43. Attend 5 VIP Events Black and White Ball Bastille Day Fete at the De Young
  44. Watch all of Fred Astaire's Movies Carefree, Swing Time, Flying Down To rio
  45. Eat food at the SF Underground Market Spam Musubi and Bach Solo Cello while waiting in line - Yes!
  46. Visit Tulum, and Zihuatanejo, and have a room with an ocean view
  47. Stay in 5 separate destinations with an ocean view santa cruz 
  48. Hear Adele in concert
  49. Find 4 vintage tablecloths for my kitchen table 
  50. Have a vintage style day dress made to my measurements
  51. Read the novels of George Eliot
  52. Visit  Columbus Indiana and take an architectural walking tour
  53. Split a spontaneous meal with a stranger while eating alone
  54. Make a Joseph Cornell inspired Art Box
  55. Remember 20 kindnesses that you have done for others, and write them down
  56. Watch all of Howard Hawks' films
  57. Listen to 2 versions of Porgy and Bess
  58. Spend a night on a boat
  59. See the aurora borealis
  60. Mount a mini exhibit of my art - even if it's just one night
  61. Eat at the Beach Chalet in San Francisco
  62. Visit the Public Libraries in Stockholm, and Seattle
  63. Visit the Bodleian Rare Books Library at Yale
  64. Have a gourmet picnic in the shakespeare garden at Golden Gate Park
  65. Remember 20 of your favorite kindnesses received from friends, family, and strangers- and write them down
  66. Receive 10 massages in 12 months
  67. Visit relatives in Minnesota
  68. Fly a Kite
  69. Watch all available Eleanor Powell movies
  70. Make a list of your 20 favorite dance Scenes in Movies 
  71. Make a list of your 20 favorite moments when people break into song in movies
  72. Remember your top 10 favorite dance moments for yourself, and open the door to make at least one more
  73. Make a humourous speech about dating and being single to a group of 20 or more people.
  74. Make an inspirational speech about my personal journey as an introvert that looks like an extrovert to a group of 20 or more people. 
  75. Make a list of my top 50 favorite artists/works of art that have changed me 
  76. Visit/Discover 10 semi hidden food spots Simpatica Dining Hall(portland) n(new york  Rice Paper Scissors pop up on New Years day 2012
  77. Travel to Chiang Mai for the Yi Peng festival
  78. Visit the Noguchi Museum in New York
  79. Visit  5  new "to me" Museums in Manhattan and the 5 boroughs 
  80. Go on a cheese tour in France
  81. Find and visit 5 semi hidden exhibit spaces pier 24 sf
  82. Watch all of Gene Kelly's Movies
  83. Seek out and visit Cornell art boxes
  84. View the Fireflies at Blue Spring state park in Florida
  85. Visit the Magritte Museum in Brussells
  86. Walk to  a field of Bluebells (location TBA)
  87. Attend a performance at the Swedenborgian church in San Francisco
  88. Take a tour of the Maybeck Christian Science Church in Berkeley
  89. Find 5 favorite restaurants in Berkeley
  90. Visit the blue lagoon in Iceland 
  91. Go to the Opera in San Francisco
  92. Stay in a location with comfortable lodging and very little ambient light during the full moon, and stargaze
  93. Eat at the Jimtown Store (Healdsburg)
  94. Shanghai Dumpling Project - cooking papa, heaven's dog, shanghai dumpling king, little dumpling shack in cupertino
  95. Stay at the Royal Hawaiian on Oahu - the lovely lanai and good morning coffee, and floating in ocean watching the stars come out.
  96. Stay at Hotel Vitale in SF
  97. Try the Grilled Cheese at Hog Island Oyster Co- the oysters were the best, and the new zealand white wine.
  98. Have a a gourmet picnic in Central Park.
  99. Attend 5 Inspirational retreats 2 pending: Accordian books with Lisa Congdon, Camp Mighty
  100. will come with time


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