I was pretty shocked to read of the recent death of Dave Freeman. I didn't know the man but I knew what he wrote, as did a lot of other people; Freeman co-authored '100 Things To Do Before You Die,' a travel guide to famous events and weird adventures around the world. As an avid traveler I read it, and I liked some of it. But some of it seemed, to me, to be trying too hard: do I really need to attend the Academy Awards to consider my life complete? And some of it seemed too touristy: sorry, running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain doesn't sound like an authentic experience. But that's fine; travellers aren't supposed to be the same, we look for different things to take away from our travel experiences, both literally and figuratively. I liked the book's enthusiasm and good-natured way of looking at life as one big adventure.
But what really got me thinking was an interview with Freeman's co-author Neil Teplica, in which he said Freeman had not completed all 100 things before his untimely death. Since the goal of the book was to prioritize adventures and trips that you really don't want to miss, I thought it was sad that the author didn't get to complete them all.
So, since life is indeed short and you never know what tomorrow will bring, I'm going to give it a try. I'm going to start my own personal, strange, unique list of things to do before I die. It's easy to see why Freeman and Teplica limited their list to travel and adventure; if I tried to include everything I thought a person should experience it could go on forever and be, excuse the pun, all over the map...plant a garden, own a pet, make a piece of art, read poetry out loud. But travel, that's do-able. i'm calling it my Incomplete Guide; as I explore life I change too much, what was important at 20 isn't as important at 50. No definitive number like 100 either because, being the optimist that I am, I fully expect to keep adding to this list.
So here we go, Marlene's first few entries on the Incomplete Travel Guide To Things To Do Before You Die (in no particular order):
Be alone in a national park. I've never been disappointed by a national park, in this or any other country, but my most memorable moments invariably happen when it's just me or me and my companion or family. They're often small moments - us and a deer at Mount Rainier in Washington State, watching the sunset in Canyonlands in Utah, holding our breath as a jaguar crossed our path in Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica. But there's something about being the only ones witnessing a moment that sticks with you forever. If all you do when you visit Yellowstone is stop at Old Faithful, it ain't gonna happen. Sure, go visit Old Faithful. Old Faithful is awesome. Then at sunset go visit one of the small geysers and enjoy something alone.
Touch the walls of an ancient building. If the sign says 'don't touch' then don't touch; the oils in your hand will cause harm. But it's OK to touch the walls of most buildings, and there's something very human and connecting about running your hands along a wall that was hewn by hand long ago. The craftsman touched it, now you touch it, 500 or 1,000 years later. It makes you feel very human. Whenever I consciously do this one tiny thing, it makes me smile.
Visit a piece of art you recognize. Any piece of art that you'd recognize instantly, go see it in person. It's a whole new experience and I guarantee, you won't look at that art piece the same way again. Mount Rushmore, the Pieta, Starry Night, The Last Supper, the Eiffel Tower...take your pick. It'll stick with you, it really will. I've got a long list still to see. I hope I never run out.
Shop in a local market at least once in your life. If you're in a town and there's a market you should always go, but at least do it once. You'll learn more about the community and the people than you will anywhere else. Even if you can't speak the language, even if you don't buy anything, go anyway. Soak it in. The market in Geneva Switzerland was sure different than my local market here in Arizona, which is nothing like the one in Suchitoto El Salvador. If you're not there on market day the next best thing is to visit the local supermarket. When I'm in another country I love going to a supermarket; no matter how big or small, I could spend hours in there.
Pretend to be a time traveller. Go to Independence Hall, look down at your shoes and say to yourself, "Thomas Jefferson walked right here, right where I'm walking." Step into the still-visible tracks of the Oregon Trail outside of Boise, Idaho and be the woman who has left everything behind for a new life in the unknown west. Walk the worn steps up to your seat in Fenway Park and be the guy hoping Ted Williams will hit a home run. Stand on the windswept Salisbury Plain in England in front of Stonehenge and wonder what the heck was going through the minds of those that built it. It doesn't have to be an exotic or famous place; sometimes it's more powerful in a small town.
That's a start. No wonder those guys wrote a whole book, this is fun. But maybe the first thing on the list shouldn't have been a place to go but a place to be, something everyone (and particularly every traveler) should remember: take life as it comes. It's hard to do but worth remembering, and it sure makes life, and travelling, much sweeter.
But what really got me thinking was an interview with Freeman's co-author Neil Teplica, in which he said Freeman had not completed all 100 things before his untimely death. Since the goal of the book was to prioritize adventures and trips that you really don't want to miss, I thought it was sad that the author didn't get to complete them all.
So, since life is indeed short and you never know what tomorrow will bring, I'm going to give it a try. I'm going to start my own personal, strange, unique list of things to do before I die. It's easy to see why Freeman and Teplica limited their list to travel and adventure; if I tried to include everything I thought a person should experience it could go on forever and be, excuse the pun, all over the map...plant a garden, own a pet, make a piece of art, read poetry out loud. But travel, that's do-able. i'm calling it my Incomplete Guide; as I explore life I change too much, what was important at 20 isn't as important at 50. No definitive number like 100 either because, being the optimist that I am, I fully expect to keep adding to this list.
So here we go, Marlene's first few entries on the Incomplete Travel Guide To Things To Do Before You Die (in no particular order):
Be alone in a national park. I've never been disappointed by a national park, in this or any other country, but my most memorable moments invariably happen when it's just me or me and my companion or family. They're often small moments - us and a deer at Mount Rainier in Washington State, watching the sunset in Canyonlands in Utah, holding our breath as a jaguar crossed our path in Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica. But there's something about being the only ones witnessing a moment that sticks with you forever. If all you do when you visit Yellowstone is stop at Old Faithful, it ain't gonna happen. Sure, go visit Old Faithful. Old Faithful is awesome. Then at sunset go visit one of the small geysers and enjoy something alone.
Touch the walls of an ancient building. If the sign says 'don't touch' then don't touch; the oils in your hand will cause harm. But it's OK to touch the walls of most buildings, and there's something very human and connecting about running your hands along a wall that was hewn by hand long ago. The craftsman touched it, now you touch it, 500 or 1,000 years later. It makes you feel very human. Whenever I consciously do this one tiny thing, it makes me smile.
Visit a piece of art you recognize. Any piece of art that you'd recognize instantly, go see it in person. It's a whole new experience and I guarantee, you won't look at that art piece the same way again. Mount Rushmore, the Pieta, Starry Night, The Last Supper, the Eiffel Tower...take your pick. It'll stick with you, it really will. I've got a long list still to see. I hope I never run out.
Shop in a local market at least once in your life. If you're in a town and there's a market you should always go, but at least do it once. You'll learn more about the community and the people than you will anywhere else. Even if you can't speak the language, even if you don't buy anything, go anyway. Soak it in. The market in Geneva Switzerland was sure different than my local market here in Arizona, which is nothing like the one in Suchitoto El Salvador. If you're not there on market day the next best thing is to visit the local supermarket. When I'm in another country I love going to a supermarket; no matter how big or small, I could spend hours in there.
Pretend to be a time traveller. Go to Independence Hall, look down at your shoes and say to yourself, "Thomas Jefferson walked right here, right where I'm walking." Step into the still-visible tracks of the Oregon Trail outside of Boise, Idaho and be the woman who has left everything behind for a new life in the unknown west. Walk the worn steps up to your seat in Fenway Park and be the guy hoping Ted Williams will hit a home run. Stand on the windswept Salisbury Plain in England in front of Stonehenge and wonder what the heck was going through the minds of those that built it. It doesn't have to be an exotic or famous place; sometimes it's more powerful in a small town.
That's a start. No wonder those guys wrote a whole book, this is fun. But maybe the first thing on the list shouldn't have been a place to go but a place to be, something everyone (and particularly every traveler) should remember: take life as it comes. It's hard to do but worth remembering, and it sure makes life, and travelling, much sweeter.
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