- invent bifocal contact lenses that work
- take a Caribbean cruise, eat every meal, and not gain an ounce
- sow a garden with heirloom seeds
- found a news-and-opinion magazine
- discover a cure for hay fever
- learn to make stained glass
- maintain a sound credit rating
- avoid baldness
- see a grizzly on the tundra of Gates of the Arctic National Park
- discover an archaeological site in my hometown
- go through the fun house and tunnel of love at an amusement park
- dress as Batman on Halloween
- travel the complex of vaulted chambers at Lewis and Clark Cavern in Montana
- hit the golf ball not just long but on the mark
The Wish List is a quirky collection that sounds an irresistible call to get out there and start living. The Wish List presents a compulsively readable list of unexpected goals. There are wishes large - retrace Odysseus' route around the Mediterranean and wishes small - find a genuine arrowhead. There are artistic wishes - write a sonnet; athletic wishes - learn to box; practical wishes - master the rudiments of plumbing; whimsical wishes - become a taster at Ben & Jerry's; and fantasy wishes - live in a Venetian palazzo. The Wish List is meant to plant seeds, jog us out of complacency, and articulate unspoken desires. It is an inspirational to-do list, sounding an irresistible call to get out there and start living.