Things to Achieve Before I Die

Oh, blog of mine. How I have neglected you over the last few months. It's inexcusable, really. But if you want an explanation, I was working 60-80 hours per week for quite a while; pretty much since late February. Although I'm still pulling in 60 per week right now, I at least get my weekends off. Such is the life of a contract attorney. When the work is plentiful, you make boatloads of money. When it isn't, you cross your fingers and hope that you make enough to get by. Right now, thankfully, I'm in the former category.

When you work all the time, you start to daydream about what you would like to do if you didn't have to work at all. I've often heard that people who retire get depressed because they no longer feel like they have a purpose. I understand why that happens, although a small part of me thinks that those people simply lack imagination. I've gone through my own stretches where I didn't have either work or school, and they did tend to get boring after a while. But I also had the thought looming over my head that either vacation was going to end, or my new job was going to start soon, etc. So I wasn't really making any life altering plans or pursuing my dreams during those periods. I was basically filling time, which ususally consisted of sleeping in, getting some basic exercise, watching tv, going to the store, and doing a lot of cooking and reading. It's nice for a week. It gets old after a month. But if/when you hit retirement and you don't have anything looming over you in the future, you would think people would start to reflect on what they would like to do before they die, and figure out a way to do some of them. I understand that sometimes health and financial reasons can limit this, but not everything has to be expensive or require a robust physique.

So I decided to put together my own list, based on the things I would like to do right now if I had the means to retire early. I'm sure priorities will change over the years, but at least I can look back on what I was thinking at this moment in time. I realize that this is a "bucket list" or sorts, yet it differs in that I'm not including places I would like to visit, people I want to meet, books I want to read, etc. It's a list of things I would like to accomplish, which I feel would give me satisfaction when I look back on a life well-lived.

1. Finish a triathlon. Not a sprint distance triathlon. Not an Olympic distance triathlon. I want to finish an Ironman triathlon. That's a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles of cycling, and a 26.2 mile marathon run at the end. The test of a true athlete. I'd have to say swimming would be the weak link for me. I could probably swim a breaststroke for that distance, with some training, but I would probably go so slow that I would get disqualified. So I would probably need someone to teach me an efficient freestyle technique.

2. Write a book. Of fiction. I've actually put a lot of thought into this, and I even have a rough story line that I've put together in my head. It will likely be called The Balancing Act, and will tell the tale of a young LDS man who leaves the church, falls in love with young lady, and through the course of the relationship discusses topics of life, religion, and ultimate truth with her. The relationship ends, she encounters LDS missionaries, and decides to convert. The crux of the story will be how they both find happiness in their respective journies, and how they each find what they were missing in progressing from one faith tradition to another. That's just a brief overview of what I have pieced together so far. There will also be political intrigue, heartbreak, and even a climactic car crash.

3. Learn several new languages. I haven't put a limit on the number. I know I previously alluded to taking up Farsi. I pretty much learned the alphabet, got really busy with work, and promptly forgot the alphabet. I'm sure it would come back to me quickly. So I would start with Farsi, probably branch out to Portuguese, then maybe try my hand at something like Korean. If you've got free time and some good study materials, then I figure an intelligent person can become fully functional in a new language within a year. Seems entirely possible to me.

4. Go back to school for some additional degrees. You would think that a B.S. and a J.D. would be enough. Not so. There are so many other things I would like to become somewhat of an expert in. The three likely contenders would be: an M.A. in Theology, a Ph.D. in Economics, or an M.A. in Counseling/Therapy. Theology, because I am very interested in giving some serious study to biblical texts and origins, as well as language and translation. I feel like my own church is severely lacking in this area. For example, I recently found out that the King James version of the Bible is not the most accurate translation, despite the rumors I have constantly heard at church. (The New International Revised version or New American Standard are two of the best translations.) Economics, because I feel like so many people in this field sell out to the highest bidder, and I want to get past all of that so I can draw more accurate conclusions. Counseling, because I think the LDS community needs more good therapists, people who can get to the real heart of a matter, instead of merely offering the same sort of shallow, canned answers you sometimes get at church.

5. Record a music album. I want to get good at using digital effects to create drum tracks, bass grooves, and other sound effects. Then I want to edit them all together to create an audio track that I can accompany live with my electric guitar. I would literally be a "one man band." I figure that the technology is here, so why not be one of the first to try it? Maybe even spruce it up with a pre-designed laser light show or other special effects. With the right equipment and ingenuity, it could be way exciting.

6. Get trained as a chef. I realize this could also fit under #4, but it just felt like a separate point to me. I don't need any sort of degree or certification. I just want to gain a lot of cooking skills, so that I could run a small kitchen or create exquisite masterpieces for dinner guests from time to time. Essentially, I want to become an incredible amateur chef. So I'll need some additional training.

That's about it for now. I just need to get rich, retire early, and start pursuing my dreams. Easier said than done. So, dear reader, what are the things on your list?