I don't know about you, but I have multiple lists: long term, mid term, short term goals; gotta dos, wanna dos, hope to dos, nice to dos. Lists of lists.
When I am bored some on my lists are at the ready. I have always wanted to try my hand at music composition using a midi keyboard. Check! Ordered one today to replace the broken one my son Sean gave me.
Other lists seem to be more about wrapping my shortcomings in a protective blanket and less about building a queue of projects likely to happen: learning a second language, setting up a charity, teaching class, learning math, typing with 10 fingers, becoming a foster parent, rebuilding sound rooms. The mere fact these goals exist makes me feel whole, but are, for the most part, unlikely to happen. I'll call them my feel-good list.
Our lists sometimes flatter us and sometimes scold us. They can be there when we need them, and hang around our necks like millstones when we don't.
As we age we often get more serious about checking off list items by regurgitating tired sage sayings: life's short and our lists are long.
Lately, I have been taking a more WTF attitude and checking off executable items on my lists. There seems a certain pleasure in shortening the list. I have always wanted to write a series of How To books on audio. A kind of Dummy's Guide for setup and the myriad of questions people have about what we love. The fact that I am in the middle of writing three other books seems more a logistical problem to be solved than a high hurdle to be scaled.
Lists are made to be checked off.
What's on your list?
