TeenSpeak: Listing out your life

Lists are typically associated with the mundane things in life — going to the grocery store, paying the bills, returning a phone call to someone you didn’t feel like talking to in the first place, etc.

Recently, though, lists have begun to be seen in a more thrilling light. In my journalism class, we discussed a New York Times article on the concept of making life lists.

The people featured in the article talked about how making a list of goals, whether they be serious or wacky, had given their lives a sense of direction. Nobody exactly fancies thinking of the time we have left. When we get around to it, though, we begin to feel hurried.

“I haven’t done nearly all I’ve wanted to,” we think. It seems society in general has the urge to get a move on with things — apparently life list-making is “in.”

Books, such as 1,000 Places To See Before You Die, have become bestsellers and Web sites like 43things.com are popping up. On the Web site, one makes a list of goals and then can bond with other people over shared aspirations.

According to 43things, 11,844 people want to see the Northern Lights. Oh, and 56 people want to “learn to rap like a gangsta.” You get the idea.

Some may not like the concept of turning their life dreams and goals into a grocery list. Rather, it could be viewed as an efficient, optimistic way to realize what you want to accomplish.

I started my own list about a year ago. I had read an article about three sisters who had sailed a boat to various tropical destinations. Each time they reached a port, they would set up shop for a few months, selling the clothes and jewelry they crafted.

It would be so cool, I thought, to travel around the world like that. Taking a trip with no set destination became one of the first items on my list.

My goals range from starting my own magazine to learning how to surf. Some of my current aspirations may seem frivolous when I’m, say, 40, but that’s the beauty of it. Items can always be checked off as well as added.

As the months of senior year drop away, life lists seem especially applicable. An informal survey amongst some friends revealed ambitions ranging from taking a cross-country road trip to marrying actor Ryan Gosling.

One friend will soon be able to check off a major item on her list. In April, she will be going to Mozambique, fulfilling her dream of becoming a missionary.

We all lose our direction sometimes and end up settling for less than what we might have wanted. Taking the time to consider what you want out of life is an invigorating way to focus back in. Having a written list serves as a visible reminder.

So go ahead, think about what it is you would like to do. Create your list, then work on checking off those items, however random they may seem.

Calvin and Hobbes author Bill Watterson put it best. “The problem with the future,” he said, “is that it keeps turning into the present.”

That being said, what’s going to be on your list?

Kelsey Lawrence is a teen columnist for The Monitor and a senior at Sharyland High School. Send comments to her at kelsom2@aol.com.