Just Five More Years to Live...the first step of my journey.

Recently, it hit me that I've done very little with my life. Oh sure, I'm a mom to two amazing kids and wife to a funny, gifted, loving man. But I feel a twinge of inadequacy when I see people on TV, online and magazines who climb mountains, travel, and decorate their homes for every holiday. Of course, I also see people who seem miserable with their lives in shows like The Real Housewives of Atlanta. I don't necessarily want to be Supermom or go all OCD on my family, trying to shove something into every single minute. I mean come on...I need to have some time for my guilty pleasures such as watching Duck Dynasty or Tattoo Nightmares. But there are 24 hours in every day. Am I really making the most of them all? So I guess what I want is to live my life more like those depicted in photos of Better Homes and Gardens and Travel magazine and less like an episode of Hoarders. Is that too much to ask?

I realize that I will not live forever, and on my death bed I don't want to have regrets about things I never accomplished or experienced. Of course, I don't know when my ultimate demise will be...it could be 3 weeks from now, or 40 years. But, I decided I should take the advice of the popular song, "Live Like You Were Dying." So I'm going to write my own bucket list of experiences I want to have and things I want to accomplish before I die...with the idea that I have just five more years to live. I have a huge list swirling in my mind right now...some things will take a few months, while others may take the entire five years to achieve. I'm sure I will add to this extensive (but by no means "exhaustive") list as seasons pass, and I may not make my goal of achieving everything. But I know that if I don't have starting place, a plan, or an end goal in mind, then I will most definitely be spending my last few breaths wishing I had done all I could to take that trip to Hawaii or learn how to play guitar or publish my best-selling book.

So here it goes. My "Five More Years" list (in no particular order of importance):

1. Write and publish at least one book.
2. Fit into size 12 pants again.
3. Take my kids to the Grand Canyon.
4. Learn how to play the guitar.
5. Write a screenplay.
6. Design (and have printed) a photo album for each year from 2000-2018. (Shutterfly account already created!)
7. Vacation in Hawaii.
8. Move to a larger house.
9. Build my dream backyard oasis in that larger house.
10. Go on an Alaskan cruise.
11. Own a convertible.
12. Teach my son and daughter all the basics of cooking, cleaning, laundry, yard work, and importance of car maintenance.
13. Write a journal of memories to leave to my kids.
14. Read the entire New Testament.
15. Leave a legacy of generosity and service to others.

There you have it...the beginning list of my hopes and dreams for the future. I'm sure I will add more. And I will journal about my milestones along the way during the next five years. The destinations will be thrilling, but the journey will be sublime.

~Rachel~