Thanksgiving Day was the very last day of my 101 in 1001 challenge.  My time is up.  I completed 82.1% of my tasks.

It’s amazing how different things are now.  I didn’t know what the hell life was going to be like in 1001 days when I started the challenge, but the good news is that I’m very happy with what my life is like now.

In completing my first 101 in 1001 challenge, I feel compelled to provide some tips, or some lessons learned.

1. Make the goals attainable. Sure, you might want to visit 4 countries and 19 states and adopt 16 puppies while ending world hunger, but chances are, it ain’t gonna happen in 1001.  Unless you are some sort of trust fund baby, making half your goals about travel, or about purchasing expensive things, or about totally changing your lifestyle, will only result in frustration and failure. Ave those things for your bucket list.
2. Make sure you want to achieve your goals. Once you write down your first 88 goals, you start to get a little desperate. So you pull shit from a hat instead of really thinking about what you’d like to accomplish. Don’t do that. It will only piss you off in the end.
3. Leave a few goals blank. Let yourself develop goals as you progress.
4. Don’t beat yourself up if your goals change over time. I really thought, 1001 days ago, that I wanted to get another tattoo.  But, as it turns out, I don’t.  I realize now, I should have just gone ahead and excused myself from that goal and plugged in a new one rather than allowing myself to fail.
5. Don’t spell the word “veggie” like “vegie.”
6. Put some short-term stuff on your list. Try to think over what the next 1001 days will hold for you and write ten or so goals for each quarter of the challenge.  That includes the current quarter, the foreseeable future. So, if you have shelves you’ve been meaning to put up for the past six months, go ahead and put that on your list.  Who knows? Maybe putting something so mundane on your list will jump start your motivation.
7. Don’t put something on your list that you have to do every single day, unless it’s something easy like breathing, or drinking some liquids, or sleeping. Things change. Life changes. Relationships start and end. The likelihood that you’re going to do yoga every day for 1001 days, or drink 8 glasses of water, or read the news, or read 10 pages from a book, is slim to none.
8. Print your list out and carry it with you. Read it when you’re riding the bus, or waiting for someone, or whenever you have a free moment. Look over what you’ve accomplished, and what you have yet to accomplish. This will help you know your list inside and out and will allow you to always have your goals in mind. After a while, you won’t need the list because you’ll have it memorized.
9. If there is one crazy thing you want to put on there that you don’t think will happen, go for it. Don’t compile a whole list of these things, but do put that one, seemingly impossible, goal on your list. When I made my list, I didn’t think there was a chance in hell I would be in a position to buy a house within 1001 days, but it happened.
10. Do expand your point of view. Use your list as a jumping off point for experiencing different cultures, different places & different points of view. Always wanted to try yoga? Put it on your list. Wondered what the difference between a Lutheran & a Baptist is? Put it on your list! Always wanted to attend the opera? Put it on your list. Look around your town, or city, or state and see what’s available. Chances are, life chancing experiences are right in your backyard.
11. Do it again! If you don’t accomplish every thing the first time, do it again. It’s that easy.

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Speaking of doing it again…I working on my 101 in 1001: Part the Second right now….stay tuned…

“When authorities warn you of the sinfulness of sex, there is an important lesson to be learned. Do not have sex with the authorities.” – Matt Groening, Life in Hell

So the family is here. Most of them are still sleeping and likely will be until I pull a turkey from the oven a little later on this afternoon.  Whatever.

This year I’m thankful for my husband, who keeps me sane. I’m thankful for my dog, who makes me laugh. I’m thankful for my home, which keeps me grounded. I’m thankful for my job, which keeps me in my house and allows me to eat delicious nomnoms. I’m thankful for the last few days of fall, for the hope of tomorrow, for good hair days and lazy Sunday afternoons.

I’m thankful for hot coffee on cold days, and cold sweet tea on hot days. I’m thankful for my crazy city with all it’s craziness and hidden goodness. I’m thankful for the radio, for music that makes me cry and laugh and dance. I’m thankful for books that open my world up. I’m thankful for friends, both the ones I’ve met on the internets and the ones I know in real life. I’m thankful for wine and chocolate and good pens.

I’m thankful for the neighborhood kitties who drive my dog insane. I’m thankful that I get the chance to cook a turkey this year. I’m thankful for the family the Army has given me. I’m thankful for starry nights and wool blankets. I’m thankful for bright red toenails, warm sweaters, comfy chairs, and deviled eggs.

I’m thankful for life this year and for all the plans for next year.

Thank you.

I want to be a rock star, a super hero and a novelist. I want to always have my toenails painted bright pink, or lime green or black. I want to travel to France, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, and the Netherlands. I want to wear more skirts and better mascara. I want to have a pack of puppies that sit and give me kisses on command.  I want to work fewer weekends, and volunteer more weekends.

I want to be totally comfortable in my own skin. I want a bigger voice. I want to remember how to ride horses. I want a beautiful garden designed by me. I want to write without hesitation. I want to throw caution, all of it, into the wind.  I want the ability to get up and just go. I want to spend afternoons outside reading classic novels. I want to bake pies that smell like heaven and cakes that won’t make me fat.

I want to have a degree. I want to visit all 50 states. I want to learn to swim. I want to walk barefoot all the time. I want low-maintenance hair that always falls into place without any effort from me.  I want a bigger sense of who I am. I want to walk for something I believe in. I want to convince others that freedom and love for everyone on the planet is the right thing to do. I want to save a life.

I want to still dance around the house with music blasting.  I want to love my husband even more than I already do.  I want to feel responsible. I want to be proud. I want to have a combat patch. I want to curtains on all my windows.  I want to have a best friend outside of my marriage. I want to write in a paper journal.  I want to learn to play an instrument, like the harmonica.

I want to save the world.

What do you want to do/be when you grow up?