When did I decide that safe was good?
It may have been around the first time I got hurt.

I’m prone to forget that today is part of my life. It sounds so insane, and even sad but its true. I don’t mean it to sound sad. I’m not sad. In fact if you know me, I’d hope I’m ranked among one of the happiest people you know. So don’t get the idea that I’m some Eeyore moping around. It’s just that I generally don’t look at “today” as part of the package of days that I’m living.

This morning after getting up, getting the kids ready for school, seeing them off, and kissing my wife goodbye I drove to Dunkin’ Donuts, walked in, picked out a new travel mug (I lost mine months ago), took a sip, smiled, drove to the gas station, put my budgeted $25 of gas in the tank for the week, got back in my car, drove to my office, unpacked my laptop, walked to the conference room, joined the rest of our pastors and staff for morning prayer, sent some emails, edited some video, did some work, shot a video, accomplished some tasks on my list, got in my car, drove home, got the kids off the bus, helped with homework, made whole wheat pancakes, had dinner with the family, set the timer on the coffee maker for tomorrow morning, and sat down here. It may have been just one of my days, but the thing is, it was one of MY days. Of MY life.
Like I said, I forget that today is part of the package deal. I think most people do.
I forget that today is one of those days I’m going to want to look back on and have something to say about it.

I think goals are great things to have.
Studies have shown in fact that in writing your goals down, you bring them into reality and make them tangible and therefore more reachable, and therefore you accomplish more of them.

Leave them in your head and that’s likely where they’ll live out your days.

So, in an effort to rid myself of theoretical living, I’d like to write down some goals I have. Mind you, I had no idea where this blog post was going when I sat down 10 minutes ago to write it (hence the title). It may not have taken you 10 minutes to read this far, but that’s because I was interrupted by an injured child who turned out not to be injured; at least not injured with an injury unhealable by handing him a cold whole wheat pancake.

Okay, back to my top-of-my-head list of goals for the remaining years of my life, however many or few they be:

1. To drive the same traffic circle Clark Griswold did, so that I too can say repeatedly, “Look kids, Big Ben!…Parliament!”
(Did I mention this list is in no particular order?)
2. To see the Grand Canyon. Preferably from the bottom of it.
3. To write a book someone besides me wants to publish.
4. To give my wife a much bigger diamond simply because I want to.
5. To speak to a stadium full of people about something I’m passionate about.
6. To see one US President in person.
7. To go kayaking this Friday with my wife. (Some goals should be more immediate.)
8. To be adored by my kids not because of what I do, but because of who I am.
9. To be a contestant on the Wheel of Fortune. I think I could clean up.
10. To have the laughter at my funeral outweigh the tears.
11. To know Jesus well.
12. To travel across the country in something other than a car or a plane.
13. To see my kids see their kids and finally see the love I have for my kids.
14. To do my part to make sure that when I die, less children are needlessly dying.
15. To ride in a helicopter.
16. To ride a motorcycle, even if my wife won’t let me leave the driveway with it.
17. To somehow help bring back the concept of respect for your elders. I think its fading.
18. To blog for the rest of my life, even if its just for my Mom and a few others.

Now, the trick is to keep these things in the forefront of my mind as I live each day. I may not end up in jolly ‘ol England tomorrow, but I will be living with a deeper passion for the opportunities of the moment. Imagine that.

And imagine something else: Imagine if online scammers spent their time being productive, creative, and useful members of our society instead of leeching off it. Imagine if “Angela Cutler”, the person who recently tried to scam me reads this, has a change of heart and becomes a better person; because in my view she/he/they can’t get much worse.

So back to my original question: When did I decide that safe was good? It’s probably around the same time I lost my list.