I credit my good friend Chris for converting me into a fan of Killing Joke way back when we were in high school. He lives in Sacramento now, and made the trip down with his girlfriend to see the show with me last Friday night at the Fillmore. They killed–and I had a really great time staying out past my bedtime. Also, the roadie gave me a guitar pick post-show. It was still warm. Giddy.
Since I’ve been working on my Life List, I’ve been encouraging my husband to do the same. It’s been a hurdle, but I think I’m finally making a breakthrough:
The Albany Bulb is a former landfill on a small peninsula in the town of Albany, next to Berkeley. We’ve been near this area before: to attend a few horse races at Golden Gate fields and to take the dog to the dog-friendly beach nearby. I had no idea that there was a trail over the landfill that inspired artists to make sculptures of trash for display along the shoreline.
The weather was nice and hot on Sunday, so I chose this as our first hike off my Life List. Just as I got Ella and Matt all ready to go, my precious guidebook was MIA. I didn’t know the exact details of the trail, but we’ve been over in that area before I didn’t think it would be that hard to spot. We managed to hike a solid mile, but the cool part where all the old sculptures wasn’t on the path we took. By the time we found it, Ella was about done (it was lunch/nap time)) and I didn’t want to push her. Also, the number of homeless encampments we found caught me a little off guard–I felt like we were trespassing. The guide later confirmed that there’s a whole community of folks that live in tents here.
So heed my advice, never leave without your guide. Or towel.
I saw Sigur Rós in San Francisco last Wednesday with a friend–nearly by happenstance. Considering everything that was going down in the world last week, it was a much needed experience. They were even on my list of bands yet to see Life List goal (which is still in progress).
A favorite:
This has gone viral, but I wanted to share it because I think Patton Oswalt hit the nail on the head:
I mentioned last week that I was feeling a little anxious about making my Life List public. After taking the class and thinking it over, I now understand why one would do that. Making a Life List public makes others aware of your intentions so they can help you along the journey. Also, when you put your intentions out there, it’s much more difficult to make excuses and bail.
Of course the Life List isn’t set in stone! There are natural fluctuations that happen in life that will impact your Life List. As a result it’s OK to change things and move priorities around to better accommodate where you are in life. The most important thing to remember is the end result of a goal is happiness. Otherwise, the goal simply isn’t worth seeking.
One helpful trick I learned in the class is to review the list and see if there’s a common emotion or feeling attached to each of the goals. For me, I realized that my goals were created to invoke a good sense of health, rejuvenation and strength.
Have you started a Life List yet?
I drink a few green smoothies a week. I love them. Would you also like to karate-chop through your day? Then drink this (and a few cups of coffee).
2 cups packed baby spinach* leaves
1 large Fuji Apple (or two small apples) cored and sliced (if organic, leave the peel on)
1 peeled frozen banana
1 cup of filtered water. Or use coconut water, if you really want to rock.
Throw into your trusty Vitamix**. Blend, pour, and enjoy.
* Alternate your greens (spinach, kale, bok choy, etc.) every few weeks. Just cause.
** Or whatever you use to turn stuff into micro-particles.
Every Friday morning Ella and I go to the farmer’s market in downtown Oakland to stock up on freshly picked goodness. It’s our thing.
Well it was super hard for me to narrow down my top 5 Life List goals for the assignment, so I just posted a bunch to my Go Mighty account. The new additions include:
- Convert my backyard into a food-bearing garden oasis (we’ve got so much space and so much sun!)
- Organize a street-wide garage sale/block party. (Our neighbors are cool. I think they’ll be down for this.)
- Start a family band. Perform (at least once) in front of an audience in a club-like setting (Matt and Ella, ARE YOU READY?!?!)
- Fold into the perfect (for me) uttanasana. (This has been a goal of mine for 10 years now!!! I never stick with Yoga long enough to do it. It’s time to step it up.)
- Drive a snowmobile. At night. (How is it that I grew up in Western, New York and never even rode on a snowmobile?!?! Crazy.)
