100 Things to do Before You Die
Dave Freeman, co-author of "100 Things to Do Before You Die," passed away at his Venice home on August 17th after falling and hitting his head. He was just 47 years old.
"He didn't have enough days, but he lived them like he should have," his co-author Neil Teplica said.
While Freeman and Teplica’s book is centered on travel, Freeman’s death (and the motorcycle accident I witnessed on I-5 last week) got me thinking about the 100 things I want to do before I die.
Do you have a list? I encourage you to make one with your most dreamy and impractical goals and hopes for your life. And that doesn’t necessarily mean “become the first female referee in the NFL” or “spend a night in jail” (both of which are on my list, but will undoubtedly never happen)—it could be as simple as “learn to play the cello”, “get a tattoo”, or “become a parent”—pretty admirable goals if you ask me.
Try creating a list of your own, and check out Freeman’s book if travel is a big part of your plans. And if "find my dream job" is pivotal, but seems unattainable or out of reach, or if you just don’t know where to start, know that the UW Career Center is here to help you with all your questions and concerns.
We’d love to hear something from your list—post a comment here!
i wanna skydive before i kick the bucket. i also want to invent something useful to the world... whatever it may be.
As my parents named me appropriately, top of my list would be to visite Lourdes, France and Santiago de Compostella in Spain.
This is a wonderful post.
It reminded me of an older man that I met once. He put off a number of things in the short time that I had known him. Soon afterward, he was diagnosed with a life threatening illness and mentioned to me that he was beginning to lose the sense of being untouchable. The feeling that nothing bad could ever happen to him. It really surprised me to hear him say that.
I always have the feeling that if I really want to accomplish something, I shouldn't wait - none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow. I think that our fast-paced lives get us carried away too often. We get wrapped up in the day-to day and lose sight of the bigger picture for our lives and what we want to do with the time we have. Accomplishing even just a fraction of some of these things on our lists gives us a better life to live than if we had put it off.
Good question. I have at least five.
(1) Become a professional at least in one field
(2) Plant a tree
(3) Save at least one animal's life (adopt a dog, cat, horse, etc.)
(4) Improve somebody's else life
(5) Achieve something, so that you are remembered
I'm having trouble accomplishing one or two things on my list, let alone one hundred. I should probably get on that.
Very good post...
Here is my short list.
1. Planting a Tree
2. Climb a Mountain (like Everest)
3. Travel Round the World
4. Take a Nice Long Shower in a Waterfall
5. Learn to Play Atleast One Musical Instrument
It is funny because I made a list many years back and it has certainly changed in the intervening time. Here we go:
1. Love God
2. Love my Family
3. Love my friends
4. Love others
5. Love my enemies
6. Give until it hurts
7. Live like my time is up at the end of the day - everyday!
That is so sad when people go at that age. Anyways, some things I'd like to do is travel the world to see the seven wonders of the world. I saw two of them so far.
Also I'd like to teach my son everything that I know.
1. Propose to a beautiful woman while walking by the Seine in Paris on a perfect night.
2. Dive the Great Barrier Reef
3. Learn to Salsa really really well
4. Form a folk-rock band and have a regular weekly gig
5. Snowboard the highest run at Whistler
Here's some :
1) swim with dolphins!
2) avoid swimming with sharks ;) (yikes!)
3) learn to speak a foreign language and make sure I learn how to use it
4) fall deeply in love
5) know who God really is
6) find a job i love
Ok, I guess I had better get busy -
1. Drift through the canals of Venice
2. Shop the flea markets of the world
3. Dye my hair red and/or get a "Monroe" piercing
4. Voice lessons
5. Have my own shop
6. Find my long-lost relatives in England
7. Become the Smiley Library Story lady
there are 93 more things but these are the first that came to mind....
I wonder how many of his 100 things Dave did.
Hi Alyce,
Great list. I was born with red hair and I was a vocal music major in college, but like you, I'd love to drift through the canals of Venice. :)
Hi Angela,
It's great to hear from someone living life to the fullest with red hair! I am pretty sure we both will be going to Venice..thanks for the comments. Best regards...Alyce
Like Cara mentioned, I think the neatest thing about this idea is that goals, dreams and aspirations both big and small are important. You can want to become the next President of the United States, top-level project manager at the Gates Foundation or help find a cure for cancer AND hope to take a ferry to Bainbridge Island someday, pay tribute at Jimi Hendrix's grave or taste every flavor of Ghiradelli chocolate -- all are valid, important and integral to you being YOU.
A little taste of my to-do's, in no particular order, is below!
1. Visit all the Major League Baseball parks
2. Get to Ireland, and see my ancestral family homes and history
3. Get married, have kids and raise them to be engaged citizens and thoughtful friends
4. Dive out of my comfort zone and get a radically different haircut and hair color.
5. See a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre
6. Learn how to skateboard (it won’t be pretty, but that’s beside the point)
7. Buy a pair of Manolo Blahnik heels
8. Do a stint with Americorps, Teach for America, Peace Corps, Katrina Corps or other service organization
Cara - great post.
Sad about Dave's passing.
Here's a few on my list:
1. Climb Machu Picchu in Peru
2. Attend a concert in Central Park and Madison Square Garden, NYC
3. Become a better surfer
4. Become a better fly-fisherman
5. Swim with sharks
6. Help my nephew become a pro-baseball player or superhero like Batman
7. Write a book or screenplay
8. Buy a home, raise a kid, get a PhD
9. Tour as a roadie for a summer with one of my fav. bands
10. Kayak-camp the San Juans