2011--A year for Catching Up--And no, not like last year

For 2010 I made a very small, modest list of things I wanted to accomplish. The list was unambitious at best and contained only 5 items. I completed two of them.

If I had known then what I know now, I would have known that resolutions were not necessary in the world of huge change into which I was about to throw myself. Before the plunge I had never made my own decisions, paid my own bills and had barely even stood up for myself. I didn’t know how to ask for what I needed, provide for myself, or keep my head up when it all looked like a mistake.

Now, a year later, I have a reserve of memories and successes that spur me on as I continue to face the challenges I have taken on in order to make my life what I want it to be. I won’t bore you with those things in this post.

However, among the more laughable memories of 2010, is my List of “Firsts,” which resembles a list that a college freshman might make. It is not an example of how I have lived my life. It is more an example of how I didn’t live it before.

Some of it is mischief. Okay, most of it is mischief. Some of it is personal. In an effort to demonstrate at least some measure of discretion, I will leave you to your wild imagination on things too personal or too mischievous (or both) to post. Just be assured that these are real entries that I replaced with dashes.

Year of Firsts

First facial piercing

First girl’s night out

First time in a bar

First time to dance

First time to ---

First ---

First Sunday not at church

First ---

First ---

First time to ---

First ---

First move to another US city

First apartment of my own

First time living alone

First permanent non-ministry job

First time to see ‘forbidden movies’ including Ghostbusters and Pee Wee Herman

First non-Christian concert

First cigar

First 5K

First time to ---

First unnatural hair color

First ---

First time in court

And so I began to fill in gaps of things that, in many people’s lives, would have been tried at a much earlier age. This year I hope to fill in even more gaps.

And there are many.

I have gaps in exposure and education, due to my upbringing and the intolerance of ideas that I grew up with. This year, 2011, will be a year of catching up. Not of catching up on experiences, but in filling in the spots in my mind that scream for knowledge and stimulation. Topics that were ignored in my “education” that I hope to cover include art, mythology, influential people of our time, politics, literature, and pop culture such as video games, music, movies and tv. Areas I won’t be covering include Bible Memory and Creationism. Thanks to my 12 years in Christian School and 20 years in the ministry I think I’ve pretty well got those covered.

Oh, and should I also attempt to fill in gaps in history, science and math? Tackling the algebra I didn’t learn in school seems a little overwhelming when viewed alongside all the rest I just signed up for. After all, it wasn't till this year that I knew who Chubaka was. But we’ll see...