Ordinary days have come to consist of the very unexpected lately.
Sometimes the unexpected is manifested in a quick, on-the-fly breakfast that turns out to be one of the most delicious you’ve had in recent memory. That happened three days ago, and for the past three days, I’ve been happily enjoying toast with raw almond butter, coconut butter, a drizzle of agave syrup + a sprinkle of cinnamon.
I have a feeling it may happen for at least three more.
Just when I think I’ll get a quiet day at work to catch up on the projects that have been sadly shoved to the backburner due to more pressing, immediate issues; more pressing, immediate issues pop up demanding attention. Since 2011 began 18 short days ago, it seems work has taken on this pattern in the most ordinary of fashion.
I ate Veggie Millet Miso Soup for lunch because in all honesty, I had tried + true intentions of starting a three-day detox to cleanse my Everythingtarian digestive system today. Then Megan + Sofia sent me the most delicious Coffee Toffee with Hazelnuts + Chocolate as well as Spicy Caramel Popcorn, and all desire to detox my system went right out the window.
That ordinary window where I usually throw notions of detoxing.
Make-upless face, ponytailed hair and an ordinarily eager spirit accompanied me to photography class tonight. I came home ready to embark on a special post I’ve been concocting in my head for more than a week only to discover not only could I not find my Cambodia + Thai isles pictures from teaching abroad, I’ve lost them. Which is rather ordinary seeing as in the last week, I’ve lost earrings, a scarf, the nail polish on my left hand and my mind.
As I began to look through every CD, flash drive and computer I own for the elusive photos, my mild attention deficit disorder was quickly entertained when I found something else instead, a document I wrote senior year in high school entitled, “Things to Do Before I Turn 30.”
- swim with dolphins
- learn to play the guitar
- go skydiving (X)
- study abroad (X)
- backpack around Europe (X)
- be on the Price is Right <- NOT the same without Bob Barker
- visit New York City + LA (X)
- fall in love
- graduate from college (X)
- learn photography (X) <- I have a eerie ability to predict the future
- be on a reality TV show
- teach Sunday school
- take an unplanned road trip
- take an unplanned vacation (X)
- be an actress (in some way) (X)
- go to the Bahamas
- live in a foreign country (X)
- watch the sun set + rise
- go scuba diving
- have children <- I take this one back
- steal a golf cart
- stay awake for a complete 24 hours
- stay home and watch movies all day <- this weekend?
- start a food fight <- ???
- get a real massage (X)
- volunteer doing charity work (X)
- dance in the rain
- sleep under the stars (X)
- get on the Dean’s List (X)
- meet the Queen of England
- forgive somebody (X)
- eat everything and anything I want for a day (X) <- x 1,329,891 days
- go to Hawaii
- buy a ridiculously expensive article of clothing
- visit Bethlehem
- be happy (X)
Suddenly, my day turned from being just a day, just an ordinary day to a rather extraordinary one. Yeah, I’ve never been in love, but I’ve risked my life by while tethered to Ross in a stomach-lurching leap of faith skydiving over the Great Barrier Reef. I proudly graduated college with honors but have yet to be on The Price is Right. It took me awhile, but I’ve learned to forgive and found a sense of happiness. So I made this totally dorky + slightly too mature list more than seven years, but I’m slowly but surely checking it off.
A grand total of 16/36 with four years left to accomplish the rest?
Rather extraordinary and worth celebrating, if I do say so myself.
{ 40 comments }
You wrote that in high school?!?! You were one mature high school kid. My list would have been full of things like “go to a punk rock show” and “skateboard through the school after breaking in”.
Also – you must watch a sunrise and sunset. Most beautiful thing you will ever see. Ever.
I wonder if I wrote anything like that in high school. Haha I don’t even remember! I think I’m pretty different from my 16-year-old self though.
I am so jealous you are taking a photography class.
Mold me, sculpt me, teach me.
I love this post!
The things you have done, many of them i have not.
The things you havent, scuba, love, kids, sunrise/sunset, golf cart (own one, not stole it), expensive clothing. That’s what i have done.
I want to do something on your ‘have done’ list!
You were a profound h.s.’er!
and that toffee popcorn…i NEED the recipe!
Now I have the Vanessa Carlton song in my head! Your toast is mouth-watering!
This list is great but what is even more fantastic is all that you’ve accomplished in life! Before you are 30, I’d say you have one rather impressive Bucket List, even if you don’t make them all. ;)
I love your list of things to do before 30, the food fight, lol! U must get on that !
I hope the photography class went good! I am going to search for one, thanks for the tip you gave ne too !
LOVE your toast combo, ahhhhhhhhhh toast never looked so god to me ; )
Have a great day! love ya! xo
Loved this – and you! That breakfast looks amazing, so amazing I may just have to try it out!
You were one cook kid! I love your list! And your breakfast does look extraordinary! I am going to have to try that :) Beutiful post!
That breakfast looks like the jam. I bet it tastes like a “raw” version of french toast. This has been a hectic year so far- where is the time going? I’m trying to really slow down and enjoy it all. You have done so many extraordinary things! I just love your free spirit :)
I am going to have to try out homemade coconut butter. It looks so nummy!
I remember making a list like that in high school too! Love this post. Makes me wonder how many things I can check of my list – or makes me want to make a whole new list!
i can’t believe you wrote that list in high school. just shows you were set to be going places from a young age! i would love to hear your plan for meeting the queen of england before you turn 30.
and i can personally attest that that caramel popcorn is addictive and impossible to resist. blogger goodies should always trump detoxes. :)
dizang, you made that popcorn look sexy! very nice. glad you like :)
i love re-discovering older versions of myself through writing. and finding something special in even the simplest of days. takes a special kind of skill.
PS did you take that last picture? love the way it kinda weaves itself into this post.
Caramel corn trumps detox every day! Glad your priorities are in order. :-)
I love your list. And I love that you’re accomplishing them one by one. I need to get on that for my own list! :D
How amazing are you?! I feel like it is such a rare thing to find beauty in the ordinary, and that seems to be exactly what you do. So inspiring, seriously!! Oh and the foodie in me is absolutely drooling at that popcorn. !!!
I’ve had things on the backburner at work for weeks. But my boss keeps coming to me with “high priority” things. So um… it’s his fault. :p
Can I just say that I really think we might be related? I have a list that is almost exactly like that, including being on Price is Right (but only when it was Bob Barker).
How harrylarious is that list from senior year. How harrylarious is it that you are more like your mother by having the ability to be easily distracted/side tracked hehehe
I WANT TO GO SKYDIVING TOO!!!! so bad!!! so jealous that you have gone already!!!
You’re so incredible to have accomplished almost all of your goals already! Your high school self would be supa impressed. I THINK I want to go skydiving… Ari’s sister did it and the video made it look really fun.
aww, i wish i had written stuff like that down when i was in high school! it would be so cool to be able to go back and see how different i am than i was the. i mean, i can remember things about being 16, but it’s not the same as your list. i love it!
I’m going to get you on a reality show. Wait for it!!!
Love the list, your lustful photos and that popcorn- worth breaking any detox for mmmhmm.
Wow, that is an impressive list! And impressive progress! Oh, and I think you can knock off “take an unexpected road trip” by coming to see MEEE! :)
those last 20 are totally doable!!
GO FOR IT, girl! :)
xo.
The breakfast look so good but that popcorn looks awesome!!
you definitely make our caramel popcorn look about 100x better – nice photos! i should dig up my old “life to do” list – although i think i might cringe a little if i ever find it :)
holy freakin food porn yum! breakfast toast never gets old :)
ps! what reality show would you be on? omgg you gotta try out for one! it’d be amazing
I love you as a teenager too!
Who knew?!?
PS. I totally owe you a drink.
That is so cool!
oh gosh. i totally hear you. every day for the past week and a half i’ve been saying i’m going to detox because i feel like such a slug from the sugar.
that’s so cool you found that list! i don’t think i’ve ever made one, but i kind of wish i had to see if i’d accomplished anything i wanted to.
That’s a pretty insightful list for high school…I especially love the “forgive someone” one. I did that about a year and a half ago and such a weight was lifted. And meet the queen of England? You gonna do it soon or wait for Miss Kate to be crowned?
You’ve got Vanessa Carlton stuck in my head right now!
after reading this, i’m creating a “before 30 list” – and prob stealing some of yours, not even gonna try to hide that one.
also, food fight? bunky’s IS on monday…
i sincerely hope you find those photos -if i lost any of my study abroad photos i’d cry… a lot. thinking happy thoughts & praying they turn up!
dude you’re like pretty much halfway done! i think new york should be on that list. along with hang out with me and eat delicious popcorn.
I like this a lot :)
I have completed 19/36 of your list…. but none of mine are about traveling :(
Also, I wish I could eat that popcorn right off of your blog!! YUM!!
I’m doing one of those 101 things in 1001 days to end on my 30th birthday. I’m pretty excited to get going on it. It’s always fun to cross things off a list, eh? P.S. I’m really digging your bloggy lately. I feel like you’re really “on” at the moment…if that makes sense. Anyway, toodles.
What an amazing day!! Love your list…and looks like you are on the right path to get them done :)
Your blog is so inspiring every day! I wish I’d made a list like this one- I have no idea what I expected for myself when I was in high school, but I think I’m going to tell me cousins and brother all in high school to write their own and save it. I’m shocked that someone with a coffee tooth like you has never stayed up 24 hours! Which I guess explains the sunset/sunrise one. Kudos to you for knowing the value of good sleep :)
i think you’re living quite a majestic existence, if i may be so bold :) i like to think that even if i don’t get all my goals crossed off, i did at least twice as more that were not on the list but just as cool. i think the same thing applies here :)
and to be honest, i secretly love those make-upless hair-going-everywhere-and-looking-like-robert-smith-of the cure- days. you know those? love ‘em. had one yesterday. balanced it with wearing spandex shorts all day. talk about a faaaaabulous day :)
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