Life's To-Do Lists

Just finished reading my friend Maggie's blog. We are writing friends, silently agreeing to travel the road of publication together. Thoughtful listening, much laughter and critical analysis of our manuscripts have been the basis of our mutual support but now the blog world has been added to our connection. I find myself waiting for Sunday mornings (the day Maggie posts) to see what inspiration she will unveil.
I love her post today. Life Lists. We all have them, whether we write them down or not. They change, of course. When I was nineteen, one of the biggie's on my list was to drive on the 401 freeway in Toronto. Reference needed. Had my license but only used public transport like most college kids. For some strange reason, driving as a passenger on the six lane freeway caused much anxiety. Coming from Prince Edward Island, where there are only single lane highways, this was a new experience for me. I'm not exactly sure where my fascination came from. My college roommate, Heather, drove on the 401 like it was a trip to the grocery store. She seemed so cool and capable.
A few years later, I drove my younger sister to college. We packed up my Mazda 323 and drove from PEI to Toronto. Pretty much single lane divided highways until Trois-Rivieres. Easy riding so far, but I knew they were coming. The big ones. The bulking expanse of concrete and lanes and cars.
Strange thing is, after finding myself in the middle of rush hour traffic in Oshawa, it didn't feel so hard. Easy, in fact. I was cool and capable! My little sister slept in the passenger seat while I mentally crossed off one of my life's to-do list items.
I still have my life's to-do list tucked away in the farthest reaches of my brain. The biggest one, and has always been, is to have my Greenwood Academy story told. When it happens, it will be unlikely that I'll simply cross it off my list. There will be baby to-do's spawning off the big one.
That's what makes life great.