The List -- part A

First, let me preface this by stating that it does not fall under any of the weekly writing prompts I have been attempting to follow...this is more of an aside, which will be followed with a Part-B at some point in the near future.

It seems that lately everywhere I go, whether it be a book store or somebody’s blog, I am finding lists. Lists of the author’s degrees or other books published, other blogs that are being followed, how-many-and-where-from readers of said blog. There are even lists of the Top 100 ___ -- people to meet, places to go, things to do, books to read, etc…I guess in a way putting The List down in print somewhere makes you feel you have to follow it, you are somehow held accountable for all that it contains and made to feel a failure if things do not go as planned and the list is completed by the time you are at death’s door…. Do I want to do that to myself ? …well, not so much in terms of the items on the bucket list HAVE to BE DONE/BE SEEN/BE READ/BE MET/etc…The List for me would include items from all and every aspect, but I see it more of a Wish List of things I would like to see or do, or people I would like to sit and talk with, or places I would like to explore whether from a historical/educational/enjoyment aspect…the list would be a combination of all of the above because oftentimes the items cross over between categories making them difficult to label as one or the other.

With that being said, I could also not qualify each item listed with a number of order, because as with all “interests” and “wish list” items, they change in priority as one moves through life. So, does this make the list a de-cluttering of my life by making me focus on just certain things, or is it in fact cluttering it up even further by limiting my life experiences to just what is on the list?

We shall have to see….stay tuned for Part B….