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Stumbled across this list compiled from a homestay near Mbeya, Tanzania in 2009. It puts a whole new perspective and appreciation on tomorrow. Most of these are the bare basics of daily life now. Some of them, like touching Ian's socks, riding that horse on the airstrip and shopping, I was like seriously? You were that desperate?
1- see Ty & friends
2- eat frozen yogurt with Emily
3- fly on a plane to see Jacinda
4- drive my car windows down music blaring
5- kayak
6- Rock Ventures
7- WEGMANS
8- hug my mom
9- do anything with Ian
10- go to Starbucks
11- go to public market with Mom
12- walk with Kiwi
13- eat movie popcorn
14- go to a movie
15- Barnes & Noble
16- sit by myself in a park
17- go snow tubing
18- water tubing
19- go for a long run unencumbered by time at dusk in shorts & a tank top
20- eat at Carabba's
21- eat Mama Mia's
22- eat Panera
23- develop pictures
24- drive the Z3 all day
25- sit in a creek (cold creek)
26- read a book on the boat
27- play football with Ian
28- play frisbee at Anderson University
29- blueberries. eat. lots.
30- get ice cream with dad
31- Tom Wahl's with Ian for breakfast
32- wander around
33- buy sunflowers
34- make peach ice cream
35- pick up milk with Kiwi
36- go for a bike ride
37- run at the track at dusk
38- eat whipped cream
39- suck on an ice cube
40- CUCUMBER & CELERY JUICE
41- eat with utensils
42- put a lock on a door
43- sit in a locked bathroom with a door and music
44- sit behind a closed door
45- sit on my roof to see the moon
46- hang out with Kailey. pizza.
47- buy CD's
48- shop on Ebay
49- wander alone
50- drive around the lake
51- make a complete burrito
52- peruse a library
53- hug dad
54- go out with dad
55- shower. long. cold. GREAT SMELLING SOAP.
56- work out
57- throw up lunch
58- SHAVE everything with my Intuition razor
59- get a massage
60- sit and cry
61- be in a full bathroom
62- set the table
63- use my dishes
64- pull curtains back & sit in the window
65- scare a fainting goat
66- water plants
67- mop the floor at the kennel
68- swim in Cindy's pond. Naked. Alone. At night.
69- turn on a light switch every hour of the day
70- dance with Ian
71- kiss a toad
72- go fishing- even if I don't catch anything
73- sit in a public place and be ignored
74- lay in the middle of a football field
75- use my red fluffy towels
76- wear my navy PJ pants & tank top
77- watch Count of Monte Cristo
78- use a new toothbrush. firm.
79- eat a pint of ice cream
80- have diarrhea
81- watch 10 Things I Hate About You
82- clean my room
83- do laundry
84- read my NLT Bible at Bux
85- be at camp
86- hang with Laurie Crowley
87- go to ALADDIN'S & SIT
88- have lunch with Grandma Helen
89- recover from wisdom teeth surgery removal
90- be out of gas without a phone
91- have my eyebrows waxed at Savage Tan
92- handle Ian's socks
93- ride Rafiki on the air strip
94- get food poisoning
95- slide down a hill of mud
96- play watermelon football
97- have strep throat (or the flu)
98- have my leg hairs pulled out
99- sit in a tub with snakes
100- go shopping
101- eat steak
102- read Moby Dick upside down
103- walk home from Lima in the rain
104- see Kailey & Joe before prom
105- be woken up to take a camper to the bathroom
106- play the spinning bat game
107- sleeping in my bed at home
108- sleeping on my bed in Canada with Kiwi
109- be in Ireland. in a pub.
110- watch Caitlin cry/laugh
111- be in the ceramics studio
"Candice and Careth are sponge bathed daily. When their mom saw their tan lines she thought it was dirt and tried to scrub it off...I feel like we've always been here. I can't remember anything. Getting on the Aardvark will be one of the best feelings in the world.
Oh, P.S. we listened to raunchy rap before church."
It's pretty incredible what four years can do to a person. In retrospect, that week was rough but it's true that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. We had rats scrambling in the rafters above us and a serious desire for personal space that whole week. It was one of the most emotionally draining weeks of my life. It's amazing how boiled down your desires get when you're under duress- sitting in a locked bathroom alone. I still appreciate that (and really clean bathrooms) every day. Having classwork seemed like such a non-issue when I got back compared to the other stuff we experienced.
The greatest change is that I no longer want to be alone very much. It's been an abrasive, slow change and having solitude is still really important but it's been situations like the homestay or travelling thousands of miles through airports and on planes by myself that's made me realize life really is more enjoyable with people. Also, shit happens, you gotta deal with it and raunchy rap before church can make you feel like a million bucks.
