So back to the book, "97 Things to Do Before You Finish High School." Since I am a renegade scofflaw blogger (oooh, I just made that up and I like this new part of my identity), of course I do not have permission to reprint any part of the book, which is a shame. For one thing, it's not bad as far as writing to teenagers go -- some adults writing to teenagers is just massively cringe-worthy. This one isn't as much. But in this context including text... well, it's too bad because, let's face it, a grown adult doing some of these things is utterly ridiculous. Which is part of the attraction and also the heady SHAME I feel for not having accomplished these things by the time I was 18. Who knew that I would feel bereft at never having had done #64: "Create a Tasty Dessert"?
This is totally the type of book that my older sister would have given me, because it was a well known fact that I Did Not Work Up To My Potential. (I had that comment on my report cards dating all the way back to the 70's. I couldn't even COLOR up to my potential.) She would have given me this book, telling me that I could grow up and Be Someone, but then five minutes later tell me what a useless waste of space I was. (I can tell that #28, "Make Peace with a Sibling," will definitely be a challenge. As will #29, "Plan a (Cool) Family Outing.")
I do wish I had gotten this book, actually, when I was that age. Not that I would have done any of it -- I probably would have just read it and then thought about it a lot. (I'm a dreamer. Remember the whole Potential thing.) But it would have come in handy, and there are a few things that I did actually do back then (i.e. #82, "Get a Driver's License" and #35 "Determine Your Blood Type")and reading and recognizing that probably would have made me feel better about myself as a teenager because I had accomplished something. Not that I was a total loser as a teenager -- though, admittedly, I wrote some pretty CHOICE crappy poetry and journal entries -- but it was true. I didn't work up to my potential because I was too damn busy sneaking off to shows and having massive crushes on gay Mormon boys. (See? I just accomplished #89, "Confess a Crush." I'm on my way!)
But now is my chance! At 40, I am going to have Potential! And I actually invite you to Have Potential with me, or at least check out the inspirational book:
http://www.amazon.com/Things-Before-Finish-High-School/dp/0979017300
That's the Amazon link. But of course I highly recommend that if you do purchase it, please go to your local independent bookseller. We don't want them to go the way of the dinosaur and dodo. I will be buying a copy for my niece, the daughter of my older sister. She doesn't work up to her potential, either. (It runs in the family, I guess.)
So now I have to decide what to do first.
Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha.
Me on graduation day, Friday, June 13th. So full of Potential. So doomed to mediocrity, thanks to not doing the 97 Things before I finished high school.
