Okay, so Nadine Dajani tagged me (on a Wednesday, I must point out) to participate in a Top Ten Tuesday blog... I hoped that meant I could think about it until next Tuesday... But then thought, hey, why not post it early on a Thursday instead. (I'm nothing if not a rule-breaker.)
So, Top Ten Very Rewarding Experiences...
1. Finishing my first book. Actually, finishing the first chapter of my first book was pretty damned rewarding. So was finishing my latest book. So is getting even one good page done some days.
2. Being present at the birth of my niece. I will be forever grateful to my sister for allowing me to be part of that day.
3. Watching my nephew, who has autism, learn to play with other kids. The few times he's genuinely hugged me have been pretty special, too. (He normally reserves that for his parents or his sister.)
4. Jumping out of an airplane. It was a tandem jump. But that just made it more cool because I got tossed out at 13,000 feet and got to do a free fall. (And it was easier to land with a pro on my back.)
5. Being a "Foster Parent" to a young boy in Burkina Faso. I'm not as good about writing letters and all that stuff as I should be... But I feel good knowing my small contribution is making life in his village just a little bit easier.
6. Serving on Boards of not-for-profit organizations. (Although this would also make my top 10 frustrating things list.)
7. Climbing to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite. I did this just a year after I had a ruptured Achilles tendon repaired and the last however-many-feet up (the part using chains) was the most challenging thing I'd ever done at that point of my life.
8. While I'm on physical achievements... Doing the Solvang Century (100 miles with a lot of steep hills) bike ride. Sure, it took nearly 9 hours. But I finished.
9. Helping writers less experienced than me.
10. Meeting any personal goal I set for myself.
5 comments:
I tagged you on a Wednesday? Days of the week mean nothing to me... it was business day minus 4 or, T-4 as we say down here. Good luck getting me to do anything.
Thanks for helping a chick out!
Hey Maureen,
Enormous congrats to you on the award nomination. It sounds like you are just waaayy ahead of your time. Best to you.
Deanna Kent-McDonald
That's quite a list, Maureen!
When I was young(er), I wanted to sky dive, but with age came fear... It's now off my list.
Wow, Maureen... an impressive list
nqlrI also have climbed Half Dome...when I was nineteen. I went alone because none of my friends wanted to go with me (at the time, it was summer, and I was a park employee...I wanted to do most of the good hikes in the park before I had to go back to college).
I had no money to spare, so I collected apples and oranges after every meal for a few days (we got to eat at the cafeteria on a meal plan). And this is what I ate the whole day. Not the smartest planning.
Then, when I got to the top (wasn't the climb up the back the scariest thing ever?), I had a stranger take some pictures of me with my camera only to find out later, I had loaded the film wrong (oh, am I dating myself by that statement) and had no proof of my climb!
However, probably the singular most amazing moment of my life (before marriage & kids). Something I achieved all by myself, just for me.
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