Sparkly Red Shoes and Kindergarten Philosophy

Once upon a time I had a 4 year old niece with a whole lot of wisdom and even more style. She had obsessively matched her hair clips to her shirt and shoes since the early age of 18 months. She knew what she wanted to wear and she wore it with perfectly coordinated accessories. She had impeccable taste in clothing, colors, toys and movies. She recognized Wizard of Oz as a great classic as quickly as she identified too much leopard print as cliche and chose the most expensive purse from the rack. She refused to be seen in a feather boa, but could sport a tiara with as much delicacy as if she had been born in a castle. And one day a strange thing happened. She came out of her room wearing a green outfit, and put on her sparkly red Dorothy shoes. Ruby slippers that did not even remotely match her green shirt with purple flowers on it. And her mom, knowing her distinct sense for the way things should go, asked "Are you sure that's what you want to wear?"

And my most fashionable niece, in all her wisdom and style said, "I know it doesn't match, but it feels like a sparkly shoe day, and when it feels like a sparkly shoe day, you should wear them. Because you never know when you are going to wake up and your sparkly shoes won't fit anymore."

So I was perusing blogs, and Jessica posted her reflective bit about her "someday list". As I was reading through it, I thought that yes, I have been coming around that same Someday corner myself. You know, telling myself "someday" but then suddenly realizing that today is as good of a "someday" as tomorrow might be. Sure some somedays need time to cure and age, but not everything is wine or cheese. In fact, Some "Somedays" are like ruby slippers.

Suddenly I thought:

Gee, I need to write a someday list so I can start doing those things.

Because nothing in my life gets done unless it is on a list. That's right, and in case something needs to get done or is getting done that isn't already on a list, I stop everything and write a list. (Thus the neccessity of the journals with me at all times.)

So here you have it, my current Someday List:

Bring treats to work (force them to love me because I am a fantastic chef...).
Bake those cookies... (lucille)
Fly someplace tropical on a whim.
Renew my passport and use it more often.
Audition for another show.
Find a voice teacher and get healthy again.
Make a new dress.
Learn to tap dance (better, more than just the 2 routines I know).
See Arches.
Hike more.
Write a research paper on something I actually want to research.
Find someone willing to give me feedback on the paper.
Submit a paper to a symposium.
Start back at school.
Move my furniture around.
Hang that picture.
Get permission to paint the kitchen fun colors, then do it. (I'm thinking seabreeze blue and icebox lemon).
Join a cause that I believe in, and volunteer with them.
Plant a raised bed strawberry garden.
Finish arranging that hymn and find someone to sing it.
Finish the one quilt so I can start the next.
Work on the quilt I have been making for myself.
Try that recipe.
Go to Disneyland (that's right, I've never been).
Finish reading Ivanhoe
Wear my ruby slippers more often
Add more things to my Someday List

So here's to the wisdom of a 4 year old. She will turn 6 on Saturday, and I need to get a sparkly card in the mail and bake a few cupcakes to celebrate. I'll even bring them to work, and knock the first thing off my list.