A few months ago, I bought a book that was supposed to be a gift for someone for her birthday, but I never gave it to her. I was going to go to her party and then didn’t and since then the book has been sitting here waiting to be given to someone turning the big 5-0…you see, the book is titled, “Things to do now that you’re 50!” Well, I am closer to NOT being 50 and was trying to figure out who might be turning 50 in the next few months and could not think of anyone that I could give this collection of “things to do”. Then, it hit me. Like most things do, when I least expect them. Maybe I can make this book my “Things to do BEFORE I’m 50!” What do you think about that? On the back of the book there is a quote and we should all adopt it as our own motto — “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein. I know how I lived the first part of my life and I know how I want to live the second part. I want to sky dive, be a lighthouse keeper, and take a ride in a hot air balloon. I want to rappel off of one of Omaha’s buildings and learn to ballroom dance and be good at it. I want (and need) to push myself to see just how much I can do. I want to better my time in my next half-marathon and maybe run a marathon, too. How about a dualathlon? Maybe triathlon? I don’t want to miss a single thing and live with the “what ifs?” and the “should haves”. That is not my life now. I want to visit the 7 Wonders of the World and see the great monuments in our own history. My life is still unfolding itself to me and instead of having my hands up to kept it away, I welcome it. Each and every day. Even if I don’t like it, I can say I tried it. I want to give more than I take and make a difference, even the smallest of one, in someone else’s life. If you had just one day to do anything you want, what would you choose? We cannot wait until the perfect stage is set because it will never be perfect. Money will always be an issue, there will never be enough time, and there is an endless list of things to do. Squeeze these little, precious moments into your yesterdays so that the memories hold you tight and close when that is all you have. My list of things I want to do in my life had a few things on it, but it just got longer and I am going to see how many I can do BEFORE I’m 50! I challenge you all to get to working on your lists too…because you never know when we have our last 24 hours. If we live life to the fullest, then there is never any room for regrets.
Michelle Homme 2012 ©
