The subject for this week - Not in this Lifetime - can be interpreted in several different ways. When I read Ciana's post of yesterday, I smiled. Yep, I'm with my sister Hussy on a lot of these things. (I'll add "eat an oyster". Nope, not in my lifetime! Bleeeccchhhh!!!)But then I paused. There's another way of looking at the topic...things I probably won't get to do in this lifetime, but rather wish I could. Here's a few of them:
learn to play the dulcimer
dance the tango
see the sun rise over Mount Everest
swim with dolphins
learn the names of the butterflies in my garden
identify a bird by its song
keep a gardenia alive more than two days
ski
have dinner in Venice
pet a wombat
see Rio De Janeiro
find the perfect pair of jeans
meet George Clooney (yeah you knew he'd be in here someplace)
live in Carmel
learn to speak Italian
appreciate good wine
see the Loch Ness Monster
understand financial portfolios
paint in oils
These are all things that I'd love to be able to do, but in all likelihood, I never will. Either there's no time, no opportunity, or the subject is just too vast to be absorbed at this stage of my life. Plus one's brain tends to fill as we travel our journeys, leaving less room for knowledge of the obscure and less ability to recall it even if we know it already. (Where are my keys anyway?)
Is this a poignantly sad observation? Not at all. There's always a chance I MIGHT get to do some of these. The hope that I will stumble over George Clooney at the supermarket or suddenly find my fingers working perfectly over an antique hammered dulcimer. It's not an "I'm sorry I never..." list, but a "maybe someday - I can dream" list. It changes, things get added or left off. A lifetime list of wondrous wishes that keep me smiling as I think of the possibilities...
It never hurts to remember that once upon a time "Write a book" was on top of the list. (grin)
On those days when it seems that none of these things will ever happen, I stop by a very special website and take a few minutes to look at this video. You've probably seen it - millions upon millions have already fallen in love with it. If you haven't, you're in for a treat. It's inspiring, beautiful and truly embodies the sentiment that "hope springs eternal". And it reminds me that maybe today I'll hear a birdsong and KNOW what kind of bird is singing it - just for me!
