I feel inspired to make lists of things I want to do in the future. I made my 9 for 2009 and on New Years Eve 08 we did a little game as a family of making a list of a bunch of silly things we want to do in the new year. Some of my friends made lists as well of 101 things they want to do. 101 is a lot of things to think of. I think 50 is a bit more reasonable for me.

My brother David (jokingly) and others believe that the world is going to end in the year 2012. There are movies, books, and websites dedicated to the theory that the world is going to end in 2012. It is just as likely that the world will end in 2012 as it is that it will end next week.

So, if I only have 3 years left in life I might as well accomplish some things before the apocalypse. So here is my list of 50 things I want to do before 2012.

1. Have another child - preferably in July ‘09
2. Travel to another continent (Africa, Europe, or Asia)
3. Write and record an album of music
4. Read a book written before Christ was born
5. Read through the entire Bible
6. Develop my juggling skills
7. Take a road trip with my brothers David and John
8. Go on a missions trip with my family
9. Read and finish one book per month for the next 3 years (36 books total)
10. Go on a road trip with my family - somewhere we have never been
11. Develop a friendship with someone outside of the church
12. Take a Greyhound bus trip somewhere
13. Write a book
14. Get another tattoo (or 2)
15. Paint / Create a piece of art to be framed
16. Play a concert in a bar
17. Read Catcher in the Rye
18. Get involved with an non-profit working in Africa
19. Learn how to cook Vietnamese food for Malora
20. Visit the Simple Way and have a good discussion with Shane Claiborne
21. Work on getting my Master’s degree
22. Get an article published in a magazine or blog
23. Go to a Denver Broncos game
24. Travel to Winnipeg - drink coffee with the Ghost
25. Make a snow fort 1/8/09
26. Go water skiing or tubing
27. Teach Noah how to play the guitar
28. Learn how to play the drums
29. Take Malora on an unexpected romantic vacation
30. Read a biography about a famous musician / band
31. Go to a U2 concert
32. Take a winter driving course
33. Finish immigration to Canada
34. Go on a camping trip with Noah (boys only!)
35. Go on a trip with good friends
36. Learn how to play the banjo / get a used banjo
37. Eat at an Ethiopian restaurant
38. Climb a mountain (a hard one)
39. Run a marathon
40. Go to a Radiohead concert
41. Learn basic auto repair skills
42. Take a canoe/ raft/ kayak down the Bow River
43. Write a love poem / song for Malora
44. Build a go-kart for Noah
45. Read a book about a non-violence hero like Gandhi or Mother Theresa
46. Watch 3 classic movies and review them
47. Go snowboarding in the Canadian Rockies
48. Take a course in web design or movie / picture editing
49. Get involved with an organization in Calgary working with people in need
50. Spend extra quality time with friends and family

Some of the items on the list are easy - some are very difficult. Some I have done before - some i haven’t. I wanted to think of things that I could actually measure and attain. 50 things in 3 years.

I will journal about each goal that I accomplish on emergentjourney so that I can have a record of what I have done and I can share that experience. I would encourage you to think of some things you have always wanted to do - and do them.