One Wild and Precious Life

Just read this in the {we are} Storytellers newsletter (sign up for it here):

Mary Oliver, an American poet, once said, ""Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

Wow! ". . . one wild and precious life." Yeah, that's all we get! Make the most of it is the message.

The same newsletter mentioned a mother of several children who, with summer coming upon them, sat with the kids and made up a list of "100 Things To Do This Summer." Included were things like a cupcake picnic, jump in rain puddles, and have a campout in the backyard. With a list like that the summer had no chance of just slipping away without numerous adventures, and it could all but do away with the "there's nothing to do...." whine Moms are so familiar with.

We all need lists like that. I do have one of those "100 Things to do in My Life" lists, but this "summer" list is more immediate and has simpler things on it, things that any one of which could be done on the spur of the moment on any given summer day.

Ever had plans cancelled at the last minute and suddenly found yourself with a free day? Were you able to take advantage of it and head off on a spur-of-the-moment adventure? Or did you do what I've often done . . . wander around the house, wondering what to do with the day?

What a waste of a day. Perhaps a seasonal list would work best. Four lists: winter, spring, summer, and fall, of course, with the understanding that anything on any of the four lists is allowed. A picnic in the winter would just be a different kind of a picnic (on the family room floor, perhaps?) but just as fun of an adventure as the more usual kind.

Don't forget to take photos, write in your journal, or keep a memento of every adventure.

We can't control the length of our lives, but we can control the width and the depth.