The Wish List

1/4/13

The Wish List

I have this book called The Wish List, had it for, like, a billion years. It's 421 pages of weird, wonderful, and random things to do. The idea isn't to do them all -- which is good, because I have no earthly intention of skiing the Olympic jump at Squaw Valley or living in a yurt. Seriously, can you imagine me in a yurt? Anyway, the idea is to underline the ones you want to do and, when you've achieved them, "celebrate with a big red check mark." Perhaps my favorite thing about this book is that each page contains blank lines -- places where you can enter your own personal dreams. Every year, between Christmas and New Year's, I go back through my book page by page to see what I've accomplished, remember the things I still want to do, and see how my priorities have changed.

Currently, my top five are these:

1.) Help others find their words. My five-year plan is to finish my master's so I can teach professional writing and genre literature at the college level as well as creative writing through continuing ed. Meanwhile I'm authoring a series of easy-to-digest writing reference books and encouraging every aspiring author I can.

2.) Have an amazing closet. Yeah, this is my frivolous one, but I want it just the same. I want a full-blown walk-in closet, at least 12' x 12' with racks, shelves, specialty jewelry storage, and a gorgeous chaise lounge right in the center.

3.) Spend a Thanksgiving weekend in NYC. One year -- just once -- I want to forgo turkey-roasting and potato-mashing duties in favor of watching the parade (from my warm hotel room or its slightly chilly balcony). Then I want to see the tree and go skating at Rockefeller Center, then finish the day with a carriage ride through the upper west side after dinner at Tavern on the Green.

4.) Have a professional astrologer cast my chart. No, I don't believe the stars dictate or predict our destiny. I do, however, believe that God stuck them in the sky to do something other than twinkle and I believe we should seek to know our true selves -- both the good and the bad. Most general descriptions of Aquarius fit me quite well and I'd be interested to see a detailed report.

5.) Buy the rights to all my favorite author's books and turn them into movies. Specifically, turn them into the kind of movies I think she would have liked. I suppose it's arrogance to think I know what she'd want, but what are you gonna do? If I ever win stupid big money, the Charlotte MacLeod and Alisa Craig books will be coming to a theater near you.

So that's it. My deep and my superficial; my planned-for and my pie-in-the-sky. Share yours below, if you get the urge. Maybe you'll hit something I want to do too and we'll go on an adventure together!

Until next time,
Mags