My Life List was inspired by Maggie Mason’s Mighty Life List. Each year, I try and tackle a few things, as well as delete things I no longer want to do and add new things I’m interested in. If you know of a cool way to accomplish something on my list, or want to help me get there, I’d love to hear from you: amy.m.estes@gmail.com
Spend a week in Paris.- Be a mom.
- Help the homeless in Sacramento, consistently and effectively.
- Go on a yoga retreat.
- Help my students blog through a novel.
- Find a way to volunteer monthly (or more frequently).
- Do yoga every single day for an entire year.
- Buy nothing for 90 days; donate money I would’ve spent on myself to a charity I believe in.
- Be interviewed on NPR.
- Write and publish a book.
- Throw an amazing New Year’s Eve party.
- Own a piano again and take lessons.
- Go through yoga teacher training at Zuda Yoga.
- Attend the Gatsby Summer Afternoon picnic in costume.
- Send my parents on an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii.
- Get a massage at Esalen.
- Find a way to bring yoga to the school I teach at, and to the community I teach in.
- Go to Austin City Limits.
Eat beignets in New Orleans.- Write a thank-you note everyday for one month.
- Draw encouraging messages with sidewalk chalk around my neighborhood.
Teach a class or workshop to teachers.- Leave a tip for a breakfast waitress that’s larger than the bill.
- Road trip through the Southern U.S.
- Marry my favorite person.
- Go camping on the beach.
- See a show at the Hollywood Bowl.
- Volunteer and safari in Africa.
Take a watercolor class and paint something I’m proud of.- Go white-water rafting.
- Put together a wardrobe that I love, that fits, and that is appropriate for all occasions.
- Attend a service at Glide Memorial.
- Be on a kiss cam at a San Francisco Giants game.
- Play croquet in the park.
- Help an adult learn to read.
- Make and can my own jam.
- Be conversational in French.
Learn to meditate and do it regularly.- Form a daily writing habit.
- Feel confident in shorts.
Get my Master’s Degree.(In progress!)- Be interviewed on This American Life.
- Visit New York City during the Christmas season.
- Learn to pour pretty designs in lattes using milk foam.
- Have an Open Letter published by McSweeneys.
- Feel sexy.
Knit something.- Pay off all debt.
- Help a college student pay for school.
- Give 10 “just because” gifts.
- See my AVID students off to college.
- Float down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.
- Visit hot springs.
- Rent a houseboat with friends.
- Learn to change a tire.
- Make Baked Alaska.
- Hike Half Dome.
- Buy Anne Lamott dinner, and thank her for her writing.
- Share a meal with Gretchen Rubin.
- Take a year off from teaching to pursue other things.
- Run a half marathon.
- Spend a week offline.
- Shoot a gun.
- See a Broadway show.
- Soak in the hot springs.
- Go on a silent retreat.
- Take an underground tour of Sacramento.
- Go on a zipline in Costa Rica.
- Attend a writing retreat.
- Compile a collection of my best “go to” recipes.
- Own a massive clawfoot tub.
- Find an outlet for writing about music.
- Read all of the books on my bookshelf.
Find a spiritual community.- Attend the Diner En Blanc in Paris.
- Learn to take amazing photographs.
- Fly a kite.
- Teach a college class.
- Spend a summer at a lake house.
- Send a friend flowers at work.
- Type my journal for one year and have those entries bound at the close.
- Take a class about wine.
- Skinny dip in the ocean.
- Host the women I love and appreciate most for a fancy meal with gifts.
- See the Northern Lights.
- Take a month-long trip with Andrew.
- Learn to roast a chicken perfectly.
- Find a way to teach people how to cook and eat healthfully.
- Be part of a CSA.
- Volunteer in India.
