It wasn’t a single event that sparked the flame, but more of a series of small and seemingly insignificant events that led to a chain reaction of thought within me. I realized that life has no second attempts. There is no reset button. There is no Beta version of my life, so I have to make the Alpha version the final and best I can. I refused to accept the idea the next 40 years of my life would be a waiting game until retirement. I decided I wanted to be able to experience life. I wanted to do the things I’ve always wanted.

I think the best way to make the most of Life 1.0 would be to keep track of the things I want to do. I read an article that asked why we stop asking ourselves what we want to be in life. Well, from here on out, I will chronicle the list of things that must be accomplished in Life 1.0, before I get to the Beta version, Life 2.0: AfterLife. Here’s the ever changing list and any appropriate links. Enjoy.

• Run a marathon
• Run the Western United States 100 Mile Endurance Run Ultra marathon
• Run the Pike’s Peak Challenge
• Run a sub-25 minute 5K
• Run a sub-2 hour half-marathon
• Complete my Masters of Science in Computer Science
• Persue a PhD
• Visit Fiji, New Zealand, Paris, Ireland, Iceland, Sweden, Japan, Germany, Rome, Australia, and Spain
• See Antartica before it melts
• Vacation to all seven continents
• Learn Italian and Japanese
• Go to Ocktoberfest
• Write a novel
• SCUBA dive the Great Barrier Reef
• Buy real estate on an island
• Convert my home to solar / wind power
• Help build a home for Habitat for Humanity
• Learn to surf
• Sky Dive
• Climb a mountain
• Go white-water rafting
• Go camping in an exotic location
• Witness the Running of the Bulls
• Rescue a animal that badly needs to be properly cared for
• See the China Wall