Ever since I answered that Seven Sevens meme, I’ve been pondering my answer to the "Seven things I want to do before I die" question. I’m keenly aware that I’m fast approaching senior citizen status (I’m on the wrong side of 50, so denial isn’t an option!), and if there is something I really want to do, sooner than later might be good advice to myself.
So yesterday, I ordered an Italian language course (answer #4 was to learn a foreign language). I debated over Italian, Spanish, French, or Swedish. Swedish because my great grandparents (my maternal grandfather’s parents) came from Sweden, and I hope to travel there someday. Spanish because there would be more opportunity for me to utilize Spanish as a second language since we have a large Spanish-speaking population in SW Idaho. French because it simply sounds pretty. But ultimately I chose Italian. Maybe someday I’ll take a tour to romantic Tuscany (a la Under the Tuscan Sun) and Florence and Rome.
Answer #1 on that Seven Sevens meme was about travel, so I priced the cost of a guided tour to England and Ireland which are also the lands of my ancestors. This trip would/will be first on my list, before Italy or Sweden. It’s time to set a travel date, at least an "ideal, hoped for" travel date, and start saving for it. I don’t know if it will ever happen, but aspiring to something is part of what life is about, IMHO. I read something recently that said, "To be happy we need someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to." Of course, I believe to be truly happy, we also need faith in God, but I wouldn’t quibble with the quote. It does make me happy to think about doing some fun traveling.
On Thursday I spent several hours planning out my writing calendar for the next several years, per my existing publishing contracts. I always plan for travel to CBA and RWA in the month of July. But I’m thinking I could sacrifice those conference trips (and expenses) one year for a trip overseas.
I let my passport expire a couple of years back. It had three stamps in it, two trips to Japan and one to British Columbia. So yesterday, still in anticipation of taking that trip to fulfill answer #1, I pulled a copy of the passport renewal application off the Internet, filled it out, went to AAA and got my passport photo taken (it is awful!!!). Today, I’m attaching my $67 check and mailing it off. Then I’ll be prepared to go whenever the spirit moves me.
-rlh-
