Tag: dreams
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If I could do it all over again, I’d have become a lawyer
Yesterday a friend of mine posted on Facebook about that it had been 19 years since Princess Diana was killed. Nineteen years I thought. Where have those years gone? The night of Princess Diana’s death began like many Saturday nights that summer: I was at home in my Alexandria, Virginia apartment studying for the LSAT,…
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How I’ll spend my $900 million Powerball lottery winnings tonight
SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE: I WON!!!!! I am RICH! I matched one number on a white ball and the red Powerball number! That means I’ve won $4.00. The only question I have now is whether to take it in one lump sum or take it in equal payments of 13.3¢ per year for the next 30…
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Livingston Gifford Gardner, June 8, 1916 – January 11, 1995
Twenty years ago today, my paternal grandfather, Livingston Gifford Gardner, died. It wasn’t unexpected. Grandpa had been sick for as long as I could remember and we’d gotten a call in early December 1994 saying that doctors gave him about a month to live. Although he’d been sick for close to 20 years, I can’t…
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This I believe
A little over seven years ago, I did a Crash Davis-like Things I Believe In blog post on the original Little Merry Sunshine blog. To this day, it ranks right up there with my all-time favorite posts. Oh, you’re not familiar with Crash Davis’s monologue from Bull Durham? I won’t judge you (much), but you…
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Life List Year 2: 250 New Experiences
After a whirlwind 160 new experiences in 2013-14, I’ve upped the ante for my 2014-15 Life List and set a goal of having 250 new experiences. I’m 2 days into the new year with no new experiences. I suppose it’s time to get to work. A couple of people have asked me why it’s important…
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DONE: 1 Year, 160 New Experiences
One year ago today I set out on what I believed to be an incredibly ambitious journey and one that I wasn’t sure I could complete. Today I celebrate the successful completion of that journey and reflect on the lessons I’ve learned and the new person I’ve become. My life was in a rut, both…
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Fear Didn’t Stop Me In My 20s and Won’t Stop Me In My 40s
Tonight’s monthly ChicagoNow Blogapalooza topic just came out and my initial thought was, “Huh? I’m pretty sure I’ve covered this before and don’t know that I’ve got anything else to say on it.” My second thought was “And THAT’s why I need to accept the challenge.” What’s the topic? “Write about fear, or lack thereof,…
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New Experience #185: Jump Off a Cliff
Today I jump off a cliff. Okay, it’s more of a figurative cliff than an actual cliff. I’m not THAT brave. What am I actually doing? I quit my job without a new one to head off to immediately. I’m sure that many of you reading this are thinking “You did WHAT? In this economy?…
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Top 10 Tips for Creating Your Own New Experiences List
On WGN Radio the other night, I was asked if I had any advice for people thinking about creating their own list of new experiences. On air, the main piece of advice I could think of was to ripoff Nike’s famous “Just Do It” line. After giving it more thought, I’ve come up with my…
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Listen to My Interview On WGN Radio 720. It Really Happened.
One of my longtime dreams and goals has been to share my 100 New Experiences with a broader audience. Yes, broader than the reach I have on Little Merry Sunshine. It’s part of a larger goal to take over the world. Uh, wait. No. That’s not true. I have no desire to take over the…
Jessica L Gardner 