I’m a lover of lists. Whether it’s making a to-do list or grocery list for home, or listing my favorite (fill in the blank) for the blog, there’s something about numbering lines on a piece of paper and filling it that makes me weirdly happy. I feel organized and/or insightful, somehow in control of my world.
While poking around in a book of writing prompts (still not feeling it and needed some help), I came across this one: List 25 Things You Will Never Do. This one appealed to me; it turned the usual list-making idea onto its head. Not what you will do or want to do, but what you’ll never do. It examines the underbelly, the negative space in your life.
Well, here’s a least 10 Things I’ll Never Do:
- Jump out of an airplane.
- Eat Kale.
- Read Ulysses.
- Be able to keep a plant alive.
- Be fashionable.
- Give up chocolate.
- Learn to drive stick shift.
- Get an iPhone.
- Stop biting my fingernails.
- Stop writing.
It feels good to at least know what I won’t do.
What will you never do?
This is pretty good Tina. It does make one think that’s for sure. Here’s my list: 🙂
1. Climb Mt. Everest
2. Jump out of an airplane (I’m definitely with you on that one.)
3. snort cocaine
4. Stop reading novels
5. Drinking morning coffee
6. Stop loving nature
7. Stop being a liberal
8. eat beets
9. write another academic paper
10. Read another novel by James Patterson
Thanks a ton for making me stop and think about this. It’s a great exercise in self-reflection.
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It’s fun, isn’t it? On my original 25 list, I put things like “resort to drugs and alcohol to cope” and “Vote Republican.” So we’re on the same page with a few things! Thanks for reading and sharing.
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I eat kale nearly every day. I think l could get you to break that one “never.”
Anyhow, for me:
1. Slaughter an animal
2. Commit suicide by hanging
3. Abandon my children (despite many considerations)
4. Keep a bird as a pet
5. Go to church
6. Take photos of art instead of spending time with art
7. Drive a Hummer or other had guzzler
8. Live in the South (too hot and too segregated)
9. Get a Brazilian waxing
10. Get divorced
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Gas, not “had” guzzler
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I loved your list! Nearly all of those I’d add to my own. I’m a meat eater, and though I don’t currently slaughter any animals, I take part in that slaughter by eating them. Besides, if there was a zombie apocalypse, and we were starving, I’d do what I had to do, so I can’t put it on my list of “nevers”. And Kale? Maybe. I’ll concede that.
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