A list of "must dos" and now I have to write my own...

List of Must dos -- from someone else. It's an interesting list! 22 I have yet to do that I'd like to or might actually do! A few -- No thank you.

1. Started your own blog. Check
2. Slept under the stars. Frequently
3. Played in a band. sort of.
4. Visited Hawaii. Not yet. But I do have a great reason
5. Watched a meteor shower. Wonderful
6. Given more than you can afford to charity. Yep
7. Been to Disneyland/world. Yes. Like to return. Not sure this should be a "must"
8. Climbed a mountain. A small one
9. Held a praying mantis. Among other things
10. Sang a solo. Yep
11. Bungee jumped. No thank you.
12. Visited Paris. Not yet. Cool other places, though
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. Yep
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. Often
15. Adopted a child. In my heart, several times.
16. Had food poisoning. yep
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. I wish
18. Grown your own vegetables. Yep
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train. Yep
21. Had a pillow fight. Yep
22. Hitch hiked. Yep
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. Not in a long time
24. Built a snow fort. So many fun things to do in the snow.
25. Held a lamb. And baby horses
26. Gone skinny dipping. Delicious
27. Run a marathon. Not on my list
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice. Not yet. I'd rather take a boat down the Erie Canal
29. Seen a total eclipse. so cool
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. Almost every day
31. Hit a home run. :-)
32. Been on a cruise. Long, long ferie ride.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. Like to go to Norway, too.
35. Seen an Amish community. Frequently
36. Taught yourself a new language. Yah.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. Sometimes. Most of the time, really
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person. eh -- it's on the same list as Mona -- maybe
39. Gone rock climbing. No thank you.
40. Seen Michaelangelos original David-- it's on the same list as Mona
41. Sung Karaoke. Outside of Red Wing, MN among other things
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. Can't wait!!!
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant. :-)
44. Visited Africa. ... wow...
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. moonlight feels nice.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted. by some lady in the mall, from a picture... kind of
48. Gone deep sea fishing. no thank you.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person. Always wanted to see it.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling. This is the best.
52. Kissed in the rain. warm rain, cool rain
53. Played in the mud. Mud volleyball
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie. -- video game.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business. mine and others
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies. I rocked
62. Gone whale watching. saw a whale from far away
63. Gotten flowers for no reason. of course
64. Donated blood. been a while, but yes.
65. Gone sky diving. No.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp. visited a torture site.
67. Bounced a check. sigh.
68. Flown in a helicopter. Nope.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. Yes...
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial. can't wait.
71. Eaten Caviar. Yum, yum, yum..
72. Pieced a quilt. for my daughter.
73. Stood in Times Square. walked it several times hand in hand.
74. Toured the Everglades. if it's still wet, I"m going.
75. Been fired from a job. Once.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone. arm
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. Weeeee
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person. critical story in my life...
80. Published a book. self, textbook, and in actual published books
81. Visited the Vatican. eh.
82. Bought a brand new car. don't care
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible. lots of other religious texts and much of the Bible.
86. Visited the White House. Not yet
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. Yep.
88. Had chickenpox. itchy
89. Saved someone’s life. yes.
90. Sat on a jury. Guilty
91. Met someone famous. :-)
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one. lost, found, lost, life, death
94. Had a baby. cool to do if it's important to you, no matter how the baby comes to you.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee. several times. Once, six times on my face and head.

Beloved hat and growing brains.

Some days, it's a good day to stay home and sew in all of the knitting ends from a quite fancy color work hat... Reknitting a hat that I love, love, loved and is now lost is more emotionally difficult than I would have thought. But it is difficult. Has been. I did have the opportunity to make it a little deeper so it covers my ears better in the northern clime I now find myself in. It's improved and I like that, but I wondered if, in the end, I'd like this hat as much as I liked the first. I might just like it even more... I'll know when the ends are gone, tassle made, and it's washed, blocked, and dried (the latter is soooo important for knitting, and I skipped this step for years.)

I did not in fact stay home. Not today.

We each make our own reality. In difficult situations, we make our own reality. I learned yesterday that an hour of exercise three times a week makes your brain grow. Literally. And it makes the connective stuff in your brain healthier. So the brain thinks better, reasons better. Teens don't have (as much of) the connective stuff in their brains to tie reasoning with decision making. They are incapable of quickly seeing the implications of decisions. And the "resting brain" is the part that's self-focussed and daydreams. Teens spend a lot of time there...

I think about this for myself, for my grown sibs, and for my own child. To actually know what's going on in our brains is amazing.

My new beloved hat awaits me at the end of the day, after the baby is sleeping and before I join in with my own zzzzzzzs.