If I were to accomplish even two or three items on this uberlist, I would be a happy camper. It is, however, unlikely to happen, and that is what makes such an exercise so interesting - rather like heaping up pretty granite stones to put in one's garden and knowing all the while that they will remain in the bucket and are unlikely to make it "out there". An uberlist is an exercise in humour, absurdity and futility, but perhaps it can also serve as a Zen koan of sorts.
- always remember to say thank you
- build a log house in Lanark all by myself from start to finish
- catch up on the reams of e-mail responses I owe my fellow bloggers
- clear out the many years of happy clutter in the little blue house
- complete my quilt and start a new one
- create a new blog which will be either all photos (and no words), all words (and no photos) or at the very least slightly more thoughtful and Zen in context
- cultivate simplicity and frugality: reuse, recycle, rethink everything
- do an extended trek of the Himalayas on foot
- do a long retreat somewhere like Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton, the Mountains and Rivers Order at Mount Tremper in upstate New York or the Upaya Zen Centre in New Mexico.
- figure out the macro capability on my camera once and for all
- find a place in the little blue house to put more bookshelves
- finish a doctorate in art/anthropology
- get back to baking my own bread and making my own pasta
- learn everything there is to know about haiku and Oriental verse forms
- learn to be patient and see the other side of things
- learn to say “NO” sometimes
- learn to speak (and read) Pali and Sanskrit like a native
- meditate regularly, just breathe in and out and don’t get in a lather about meaningless mundane occurrences
- obtain employment in a charitable undertaking, an organization which is really doing something good and needed
- perform the Grieg piano concerto or the Elgar cello concerto to an SRO audience at Lincoln Centre
- publish a volume of poetry
- return this old metabolism (somehow) to health, bounce and energy
- spend more time in the woods with my grandchildren and young friends, acquainting them with the sense of wonder
- spend several weeks in Kyoto
- take a good picture of the moon (finally)
- think small, clear and less complicated
- turn the rest of the family into vegetarians
Parts of this uberlist are silly, wistful and somewhat tongue-in-cheek (not to mention downright impossible), but make no mistake - the part about commitment to the planet is real and it abides in my blood and bones - it goes right to the heart of the matter, to my core. Written for the wise mamas at
Mama Says Om
If I were to accomplish even two or three items on this uberlist, I would be a happy camper. It is, however, unlikely to happen, and that is what makes such an exercise so interesting - rather like heaping up pretty granite stones to put in one's garden and knowing all the while that they will remain in the bucket and are unlikely to make it "out there". An uberlist is an exercise in humour, absurdity and futility, but perhaps it can also serve as a Zen koan of sorts.
2 comments:
This is a splendid and decidedly ambitious list - is it 'I am going to' or 'I would like to'? Learning to be fluent in Pali and Sanskrit would be enough on its own for most of us:):) I think I must make a similar list - it's good to have goals and ambitions, much better than the 'I'm too old now' and 'well, when you get to my age you can't' attitude. Good for you Cate. Rowan
Hello my Dear Cate,
My uberlist is similar to yours, and age is not the reason, maybe it is determination, I am not sure, but your list I envy!!!
Louise
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