my doobie list: travel

Mighty Girl blogger Maggie Mason started a pretty great trend with her Mighty Life List. Karen Walrond from Chookolooks is blogging about her list, too, and let me tell you, these women have some great things happening in their lives. And while lists like these are totally a mom-who-watches Oprah thing to do, I have to admit writing one is a great way to guide your day. For example, one of my items was to learn how to play drums. Something about writing that down motivated me to actually do it.

The process forced me to think about what I’d like my life to look and feel like. So, when I’m an old lady touring the U.S. in leather pants, I’ll be satisfied, proud, and full of great stories to tell my grandkids.

So, I’m jumping on the bandwagon, and I highly recommend you do the same. Start writing your list today while your baby naps, or during that marketing meeting at work. If you get caught, just shout out something like “but what about the demographics!!??”

There’s this great quote by Martha Beck that guided my list:

“My religion is called do, be, do, be.”

Because life’s not just about the things we do or accomplish but also who we are. And I don’t just mean professionally, I mean who we are in the grocery line at Publix and who we are when we tuck our kids in bed at night. When these things compliment each other, the doing and the being, it can be a beautiful thing, where all seems right with the world.

In honor of the do, be theme, I named the list My Doobie List.

Because I’m hyper-organized, the list is broken down by category. Also, I’m not going to bombard you with all 100 items at once. Here’s the first category: Places to Visit.

1. Ireland
Photograph the greenery, the ocean, and some castles.
Drink Guinness in pubs and do some dancing.
Nail down the pronunciation of Slainte! (cheers in Gaelic).
Photograph people who share my maiden name, Kelley.

2. Seoul, South Korea
Hang out with my husband’s family and visit his hometown.
Visit some Buddhist temples.
See a Taekwando demo with the kids.
Do a photo series on Mot, a Korean term for the act of creating beauty.

3. Milan, Italy
Take Satorialist style photos of all the stylish folks.
Check out The Last Supper.
Eat often and with enthusiasm.

4. Tokyo, Japan
People watch like crazy.
Have a heart to heart with a geisha.
Do a photo series on Japanese bands.
Get my hair cut in a trendy salon.

5. San Diego, CA
Patio dine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Hang out with the kids at the beach.
Hit the zoo.

6. Memphis, TN
Check out the music scene.
Tour the Gibson factory.
Visit the Center for Southern Folklore.
I don’t care much about Elvis. Sorry. You’re welcome to visit Graceland.

7. Miami, FL
Dance my ass off.
Eat Cuban food.
Sweat out some toxins.

8. Orlando, FL
Visit Disney Land with my kids and my BFF, Melissa.
See my kids’ faces light up.
See Melissa’s face light up.

9. India
Visit yoga master Iyengar’s studio and watch him and his successors yell at his students. Sorry, folks, yoga is hardcore in India. It’s not all peace, love, and coconut water.
Watch the production of a Bollywood film.
Do a photo series on mothers and their kids.
Go to a wedding.

10. Paris, France
Eat in cafes.
Do a photo series on stylish mamas.
Learn a Francois Hardy song to sing and play on guitar.
Eat bread and cheese and drink wine in the countryside.

World traveling opens up your heart like fireworks on the fourth of July. You suddenly see yourself from a new perspective. You see your American traits, your geographical personality, your politics, and your social habits in a whole new light. What is polite in one country, is rude in another. What is scrap meat in one kitchen, is dinner in another.

Before I had kids, I traveled quite a bit. Yes, that picture of me is of the real Great Wall of China, not a prop at an amusement park. It won’t be easy to travel with my kids. Lord knows, a trip to Target is draining enough. It’s hard to imagine traveling on public transportation in a foreign country with them. But, it’s well-worth the trouble to expose them to the world outside of our little domain.

Ok, now’s the part where you tell me where you want to visit most and why!