A Life List Book
I’ve mentioned a “Life List book” a few times now (in my January goals post, most recently), and thought some of you might be wondering what the heck that is!
I first spotted the idea on Valerie’s blog, and instantly fell in love with it. As someone who is goal-oriented and experience-driven, I never want to skip over the beauty of trying something significant for the first time, or accomplishing something for which I worked hard! The Life List Book helps with that – instead of adding more to your bucket list, it’s a way to record and celebrate the amazing things you’ve done in your life.
To get started, I purchased a simple chambray journal with lined pages. Then, I just started writing! My Type A side hesitated, wanting all the things to be in chronological order, but I forced myself to just dive in.
Among the items I’ve included so far: “Married the love of my life,” “Birthed a baby,” “Camped overnight on Cumberland Island with wild ponies,” “Hiked the Mist Trail in Yosemite,” “Worshipped at Hillsong in Paris,” “Scored an 800 on the verbal portion of the PSAT” (#humble :)), “Hosted an adventure dinner party,” “Played Gollum in a middle school play” (yes, that happened), and “Saw a live taping of The Martha Stewart Show in NYC.” Who knows what could be next?!
Now that the initial backlog is recorded, this little book sits on my bedside table for easy access whenever I complete a goal, hit a milestone, or have an experience that feels especially meaningful. The first 50 items only took up six pages, so surely I’ll have room to record seventy more years of my one wild and beautiful life, right? :)
A question for you: I’m not in love with the title “Life List Book,” so I’m curious if anyone has a better suggestion? I’m thinking something with record, but not sure…
What an amazing treasure – not just for you, but for June and for June’s children. I recently lost my dad and I wish I had a book like this to flip through. Do you put dates next to the items? Do you clip photos and other memorabilia or just keep it simple with writing? I would just title it “Emily Ayer Thomas’ Life, Remembered” and make it clear that you wrote it and when you starred.
I have put dates next to a few items, but not all of them! So far it’s only writing, but I’m not ruling out the possibility of adding photos down the line :)
I’ve done something similar in an email draft, mainly during my former life as a flight attendant, in order to remember who I met and where I’ve been to. But have always wanted to bring my entire life to actual paper, combined with some stickers and photos yet less playful and extensive than a scrapbook album. I really like that simplicity of a plain good old journal! I would just call it the “Life book”, or in your case Emily’s Life book or simply Emily’s Life. The cover screams for golden letters and a monogram :))
Yes! Sugar Paper actually gives you the option to monogram or foil stamp it, but I couldn’t decide what to put!! But a good option for someone else, perhaps!
I love that idea! Question-what is an adventure dinner party?! It sounds awesome!
I wrote about mine here! https://emformarvelous.com/tips-for-hosting-an-adventure-dinner-party-2/ Essentially, it’s a meal shared with friends and the trappings of an indoor occasion — table, chairs — on public property. So, a fancy picnic :)
Wow!! This is such an amazing idea my friend – but now I would need to go back and record 32 years of experiences :) x
It really didn’t take that long to record my 30, especially since it’s just the highlights! :)
I love this idea! Just thinking of having a record like this to pass down to future generations gets me excited to create my own! Such a special way to establish legacy in the Thomas family! :) (Perhaps title it Em’s Marvelous Life because the page contains many marvelous moments and milestones!)
I’m just sitting here trying to imagine you as Gollum.
I will bring a picture to next Articles Club. So good.
Oh, this is wonderful! I’m going to have to do this, too!
I love this, Em!
My friend Emily Freeman keeps a journal called “These are the days of” My husband and I have started one. I like it because you can write things in there like “These are the days of laying on the couch together dreaming of what life with kids will be like”! It can be big things or mundane or dreaming things.
Are you including pictures in the pages too? I’m struggling between creating a journal or a scrap book or throwing caution to the wind and doing BOTH within one book! (haha)
As of right now I haven’t included any pictures, but I’m not ruling it out in the future! :)
Cool idea! How about:
Life Lived Record
Life Lived Journal
Life Experienced