My Dash

My philosophy has always been to cram in as much living as possible.  If you know me at all, you know that I don't like wasting time.  Every moment needs to be important; every experience needs to be rich, interesting, and fulfilling.  

When I was diagnosed with cancer for the third time, I got even more retrospective, and then a rerun of The Middle came on TV.  The character Mike Heck was giving a speech at his brother's impromptu wedding.  He said: “We’re all going to die.  And we’re all going to have a gravestone with a dash on it….and that dash represents your life.  And the thing I know for sure…is that dash will have meant something.”

I've been pondering "my dash," and, of course, I had to write a list to prove to myself that I am cramming in as many meaningful experiences as possible.  My dash is unfinished.  There are many more things I have not yet accomplished on my bucket list.  I know I have forgotten many highlights (and lowlights), especially since I try to make every day worthwhile.  

Please help me add events from my past, present, and future to my dash resume: 

·      Flew in a hot air balloon over volcanic rock formations in Cappadocia, Turkey

·      Watched a play at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

·      Completed my master’s degree in Educational Leadership

·      Snorkeled with dolphins in Hawaii

·      Climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge…twice

·      Took an all-day cooking class in a 14^th century Tuscan villa with Katherine

·      Played with sea lions underwater in the Galapagos

·      Hugged a llama at the top of Machu Picchu

·      Attempted to snowboard

·      Paraglided off of a 6,000-foot cliff wearing a Turkish man and a parachute

·      Rappelled down waterfalls in Costa Rica

·      Chewed a Philly cheesesteak in Philadelphia

·      Drank a Guinness in Ireland listening to Celtic music

·      Soared in a helicopter over an active volcano

·      Hugged three different koala bears (and was only peed on once)

·      Rode a bike from the top of the volcano to the beach

·      Got “Mauied” in Maui, Hawaii

·      Ran the Chicago and New York City marathons

·      SCUBA dove in the Great Barrier Reef

·      Watched several Broadway musicals in New York City and London

·      Purchased jewelry at Tiffany’s

·      Snorkeled with a manatee in Belize

·      Held a 57-pound wombat in an Australian zoo

·      Hosted a teacher from Kazakhstan

·      Serenaded in a romantic Venetian gondola with Katherine

·      Released a rescued baby crocodile back into its habitat in Belize

·      Ziplined through the rainforest canopies in Guatemala, Ecuador, and Costa Rica

·      Hiked to the top of an active, spitting volcano in Guatemala

·      Hand-fed penguins and kissed a bobcat at The Children’s Zoo

·      Cruised islands in the Caribbean

·      Ate escargot and frog legs in Paris

·      Rappelled down a cliff in New Zealand

·      Hiked the Machu Picchu trail in Peru

·      Sang along with Bono at the U2 concert in Omaha

·      Coached a state championship cross country team

·      Felt like Crocodile Dundee in Australia’s Northern Territory

·      Lived with homestay families in England, Australia, and New Zealand

·      Fed homeless kitties in Greece, Turkey, and Hawaii

·      Drank wine and pondered life while hiking in the Cinque Terre, Italy

·      Finished 31^st for All-American status at NCAA Division III cross-country nationals

·      Won four state cross-country championships for Lincoln Southeast

·      Walked through Robert Frost’s farm in Derry, New Hampshire

·      Lobbied in Washington D.C. for Be the Match

·      Watched the Yankees at the old and new stadiums

·      Learned how to (poorly) windsurf and sail at the United Kingdom Sailing Academy

·      Rode a cable car (for free) in San Francisco

·      Hunted for the Loch Ness Monster

·      Navigated a rental car in a third-world country

·      Observed other people teeing off at St. Andrew’s links in Scotland

·      Rode a train up to the highest point in Europe: Jungraujoch in Switzerland

·      Found a gravestone at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France for a friend

·      Ran a 10k road race in London to the tunes of ABBA

·      Made the American pilgrimage to Disney World and Disneyland

·      Visited the historic memorials and monuments in Washington, D.C.

·      Shopped the historic food hall at Harrod’s London

·      Fed sloths hibiscus flowers at the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica

·      Won a prestigious teaching award (thanks to a student nomination)

·      Drank a radler at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, Germany

·      Saw the ancient rocks at Stonehenge and the antique cars at Carhenge

·      Followed the footsteps of giants on the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland

·      Experienced death-defying cab rides in New York City and Guatemala

·      Viewed Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower

·      Saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre

·      Held up the Leaning Tower of Pisa and wandered through the Tower of London

·      Felt the horrors of the Dachau Concentration Camp outside of Munich

·      Ate delicious and cheap apple strudel in Prague, Czech Republic

·      Hiked the Grand Canyon for a week with a bunch of smelly boys

·      Vicariously felt claustrophobic in the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam

·      Taught 15 years at the best high school: Lincoln East

·      Disqualified the 4x400 relay (that I wasn't even on) after winning the mile and two-mile at the City meet

·      Overnighted at a Maori Marae in New Zealand

·      Smelled the sulfuric bubbles in Rotorua, New Zealand

·      Tasted wine and olive oil in Napa Valley, California

·      Ate Key lime pie out of the tin on Sanibel Island

·      Snorkeled at night with manta rays in the Big Island

·      Walked the brick Freedom Trail in Boston

·      Swam in North Carolina’s Outer Banks

·      Drove along California’s Pacific Coast Highway

·      Rode a bicycle in the Netherlands

·      Skied the slopes in Colorado and Arizona

·      Strolled the Las Vegas Strip and won a $100 on the slot machine

·      Kayaked in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

·      Ate alpaca and guinea pig in Cuzco, Peru

·      Bottle-fed howler monkeys

·      Flew first class

·      Earned a medical redshirt from the University of Nebraska

·      Won the Millard South Walnut Grove Invitational cross country meet as a freshman

·      Saw a Shakespeare play in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon

·      Talked to various animals in my “kitty voice” successfully and unsuccessfully

·      Taught 22 different English classes: English 9, English 10, English 9D, English 10D, American Literature D, Advanced Placement English Literature/Composition, Composition, General English, General Literature, Contemporary Literature, Multicultural Literature, Creative Writing, Advanced Creative Writing, Journalism, Reading Ideas, Reading Investigations, Reading Advancement, English 9 Integrated Writing, English 10 Integrated Reading, Study Skills, Boys Town Reading, English 11

·      Obsessed about subway and rail systems in London, Paris, Prague, Munich, Zurich, New York City, Boston, and Washington D.C.

·      Creating photo books and trip reports

·      Called “Hotel Guy” from a glorious payphone in the Cinque Terre

·      Sang Pink Floyd with foreign teachers at Holt’s staff party

·      Pulled awesome pranks on Jane: yearbook photos, beer bottle labels (with instructions for deviant behavior), passive-aggressive notes, bad hostess gifts, showing up the week before the actual party, and donning a Forever Lazy (feety pajamas disaster) for her 50^th birthday

·      Skied and biked the slopes of Summit County

·      Earned 8 A+ grades during grad school

·      Wrote summer books and trip reports

·      Spent hours discussing deep issues at the Mill

·      Watched Suns games and Fiesta Bowls from box seats

·      Saw Midnight Oil, The Eagles, John Denver, The Steve Miller Band, Indigo Girls, Phish, Eric Clapton, Ani Difranco, and the Dixie Chicks in concert

·      Trained with the teammates who are my lifelong friends

·      Salivated over Donna Roehr’s (The Cake Lady) cake

·      Savored family recipes: Oreo cookie dessert, seven-layer Jell-O, refrigerator mashed potatoes, chocolate chip cheesecake

·      Sported Mohawks and Sharpie head art

·      Survived breast cancer and leukemia·      

·      Graduated with high distinction from Nebraska Wesleyan

·      Smothered my cats, Duke and Toonces

·      Had my 10-minute play, "Soul Searching in a Suitcase" performed at a competition in Sioux Falls

·      Watched my one-act play, "Armchair Freud and Dream Couch," performed at Wesleyan

·      Worked for my father's insurance company for 11 years

·      Named "Sandwich Artist" as an employee at Subway

·      Made incredible friends around the world who make every day special

·      Laughed at my husband's stupid behavior

·      Quoted extensively from Friends, Dumb and Dumber, and Crocodile Dundee

·      Toilet-papered coaches and friends

·      Loved spending Sunday dinners and holidays at my parents' house

I know I'm forgetting a million things from this list, and I still want to add two million more.