makin' a list, checkin' it twice

Life on the road has been good. As of yesterday, I've ceased my eastward bent and have started the long trek back to the west. It feels strange to be chasing the sun as it sets, rather than running from it. It also means I need to invest in some decent sunglasses, or I guess just start driving earlier in the day so I'm not on the road when the sun is blazing in my eyes. I actually really love driving westward. It reminds me of when I would drive on I-90 from Spokane to Seattle back in college.

Last night I made some baked potatoes for dinner! They turned out relatively decent. I'm not a great cook. Probably because I get in these ruts where I pretty much just eat one thing. Hence, the breadth of my cooking ability is pretty much nil. For like 6 months in college all I ate was bruschetta on toasted slices of french bread. Now, my "thing" is thin slices of extra sharp cheddar on slices of artisan bread baked with garlic cloves in it. YUM. Oh, and also: a sort of breakfast-y medley of diced potatoes, onion and scrambled eggs. Now you know everything I've eaten on this entire trip. Well, that and chili, top ramen, or pork and beans because I have those things in the Winne always since they last pretty much forever. Whenever I cook something I've never cooked before I feel like an adult. Silly, I know. Maybe when I'm done with the trip and am living in a house I'll make an effort to try harder to make real food... from like ... recipes! Whoa.

A long time ago I found Elsie's 27 before 28 list and decided to make my own 23 before 24 list. This was months ago and I'm sure I was like, "I'll share it with you guys!" and then totally forgot to do so. So, when she posted her new 28 before 29 list, I remembered that I made my list, so here it is:

There are definitely a couple I'll have to roll over to my 24 before 25 list, but I think I'm faring pretty well on ye olde list! I loved the idea of making a yearly list of goals. I think it really keeps yourself gunning for the things you want most in life. I mean, I'm sure everyone has some semblance of a "bucket list" but those are so... un-impending. You've got your whole life to do that, with a yearly list I feel like it's easier to force yourself to accomplish the things you really want to do.

As I was driving today I got all flustered thinking about how people say stuff like, "oh, I could never do that." I just want to be like, "Says who!!?" Who is this person telling you that you can't do the things you want to do in life? Is it other people? Is it yourself? Is it fear? And if so, where is that fear coming from? For some people, there are responsibilities and commitments that we've made that prevent us from doing certain things, but I think that by and large most people just don't do things because for some reason or another they think they can't. I mean, granted, sometimes we have to wait a bit to do the things we want. Sometimes we have to work hard to be able to do them. Sometimes they are spontaneous, but sometimes they require a lot of planning and effort. Either way, I definitely suggest that you guys make a list like this one, or even a seasonal list, whatever you feel like will make you face yourself and look at your deepest desires and allow yourself to reach for them.