It's time I actually captured my history. My story. Our story. My thoughts and dreams. Our adventures. Our complete and utter failures.
The idea of having a history kind of freaks me out, actually. I'm not a history fan - never was. Why look at a bunch of dead guys, old ways, and fallen-down buildings? Why study war, when we can go play in the lake or make brownies? Okay... I still feel that way.
But yesterday two things happened that made me decide it's time to capture my story. My dear friend Tyha has a "LIST". You know. A "this is what I want to do with my life" list. She actually HAS a list! And between now and October she's going to have about 4 things crossed off her list. How awesome is that! This list is going to tell a story - it will be a legacy to her children of the amazing things she has accomplished. It will be a reflection of her spirit. I realized in our conversation that I, too, have a list. But it's not written down. A list in my head is NOT the same as a written list. I can easily get sidetracked by my own stupidity and make excuses, because there's no commitment. No one will know when something is crossed off the list. No. One. Will. Know.
The second thing that happened yesterday was that I booked our flights to New York City. New York City! As an adult, the only eastern locations I've been to are Florida, Columbus and Boston (though work trips don't count, IMHO). The four of us are going to go to NYC for the first time and embark on a far-flung adventure throughout New England. I even (AAAHHHH!) bought us tickets to see a Broadway play (which, BTW, is soooo on my list!). After I booked it, I dreamed of the places we'll go together, the fun we'll have, the sights we'll see. The coney dogs we'll eat.
And I realized - this trip will be but a fleeting memory if it's not written about. I need to write our story.
I don't like history. My family's history isn't very pretty, what little I do know. I know about some of the bad, and very little of the good. I know whose hair I inherited, and to watch for mental disorders and blood sugar issues. But history is so much more than medical conditions or genetics. And I want to leave one - if not for my kids, then for myself. So when I am a batty old woman with spiked purple hair, I can look back on what we've done. And smile.
