Approaching 30 Years Without Appendix

Members of my no appendix club include Mary Ann Van Osdell, Bridget Van Osdell Peterson, Lauren Boley, Heather Enright, Joe Burrow, John Miller Edwards, Colton Burpo, Doug Williams, Dale Brown, Gina Gojean (silver medal gymnast), Andy Rooney, Walter Cronkite, Gregory Peck at 80; Tim McGraw, Tim Allen, Jenna Bush, Mrs. Raisa Gorbacev, rights activist Bayard Rustin, Dan Quayle (sent him card), Eileen Fulton from As The World Turns, Mel Gibson, Donald Sutherland, Kevin Costner, Liv Ullman, Rob Kardashian, San Francisco Giants shortstop Rich Aurilia, Dianne Fossey in Gorillas, Bruce Willis, Denver Broncos tailback Montee Ball, Ted Turner, Daniel Moynihan, Ellen Goodman, Dwight Eisenhower, George W. Bush, Lindsey Lohan, Johnny Van Zant, Sean Hannity’s godson, Zac Efron, Pat Green (emergency), Ty Pennington, Julianne Hough, Victoria Arlen, Jim Gaffigan, Derek Hough, Portia de Rossi, author Tucker Max, Pope John Paul II (inflamed), Mrs. Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump, Anderson Cooper, Ashley Judd, Suze Orman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Jordin Sparks, son of Gov. John Bel Edwards, Elton John, Pierre Cartier, Bob Saget, Curtis Stone, Glenn Beck, Jessica Alba, Bret Michaels, Nate Berkus, Patty Duke (possible cause of intestinal rupture), Justine Bateman, Andy Rooney, Pat Cash (tennis), Joe Manganiello; Brigham Young and Harry Houdini died from theirs, Rep. Charlie Melancon of La. had one in 2005 while in Idaho, Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she watched President Obama's State of the Union address from a hospital waiting room after receiving word that her younger son needed emergency surgery when his appendix was within a few hours of bursting, R&B singer R. Kelly while in Miami for the Super Bowl was taken to a hospital emergency room for a burst appendix and was operated on the same day, Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres who less than two weeks after needing an emergency appendectomy had his gall bladder removed, Ben Miles, LSU catcher Ty Ross as emergency, Giants’ outfield Andres Torres whose surgeon reiterated how close a call it was with the surgery because it was ready to burst. In fact the doctor likened it to Lethal Weapon. Apparently the surgeon removed the appendix and barely had enough time to throw it when it exploded in mid-air. Or that could have been Jesse Joyce who also probably said: I have spent the subsequent days in recovery as I have holes in my abdomen now where I used to have an appendix. I have spent that time pondering the benefits of being appendixless.

Three people died at Woodstock, one from a ruptured appendix.

“I think we’ll have all our pitchers have appendectomies,” Texas manager Buck Showalter said after watching Ricardo Rodriguez, who missed six weeks because of an appendectomy, throw a three-hit shutout against Cleveland in 2004.
LBJ showed his appendix scar and Anthony Hopkins got his break as an understudy when Sir Laurence Olivier fell ill with appendicitis.
The only man to die on the Lewis and Clark journey of two years was Charles Floyd, who took ill at the end of July 1804. He felt bad for two weeks and then felt a little better. Clark described Floyd's death as one "with a great deal of composure." It was a RUPTURED APPENDIX. The brief "recovery" Floyd described may have represented the temporary relief afforded by the bursting of the organ, which would have been followed by a fatal peritonitis. That is exactly what happened to me, I called it abscessing over itself, except I had surgery and removal of gangrene before it became fatal.

(I read they cost $200 in 1947. Whatever it costs is priceless.)

Added in 2022: You know Andrea Bocelli is blind, but did you know that his mother refused to abort her pregnancy when advised to do so by her doctor? She had had a case of appendicitis while pregnant and the doctors believed that the treatment would cause the baby to be born with a disability. She refused to follow the recommendation and the baby boy was born with congenital glaucoma. At the age of 10, he became completely blind when a soccer ball hit him in the head. This blind son was gifted with a love of music and a powerful voice, a voice which was in danger of never being heard.

When he was 22, Saget suffered a burst appendix that ended up being gangrenous. I add him to the club. And Kelly Clarkson dropped and broke down in tears from the pain. It’s a 10, but I was misdiagnosed. Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain did not travel with the team for the Missouri game last year after having an emergency appendectomy.

I heard one of my classmate’s husband’s had his appendix out and not only that, it had a tumor on it.

Dr. William Grant in Davenport, Iowa, did the first on Jan. 4, 1885. My scars remind me of how God pulled me out of a possible brush with death and how prayers are answered.

Just read where someone's fave word was appendectomy--the removal of an app from an electronic device.

Wish I remember where this was from. Here is a list of things I can do that you appendixed readers cannot now that I no longer have one: - walk through an appendix detector without incident - digest plants and grasses without having to swallow small rocks to aid in the process - smuggle condoms full of heroin across the border in the now vacant cavity where my appendix was - grant wishes - see clearly... I don’t understand the connection either - beep every hour, on the hour - the doctor lost his watch during the operation - refer to everyone who is rude to me who has not had an appendectemy as “AppenDICKS” - threaten my other organs into always functioning properly... they saw what happened to the appendix... - date several cute hospital surgical interns, as they saw me unconscious on a table wearing a backless paper gown.

"One Writer's Beginnings," was a book review I went to about Eudora Welty. Welty's mother's father died of a RUPTURED APPENDIX when she was 15. Eudora's grandmother had to stay home to take care of the other children, but her mother took her 38-year-father, who waited a while to seek attention, in a buggy from West Virginia to Baltimore. She was 15. They had to get a boat to cross a river and then walked to Johns Hopkins. The father passed and she was told to tell her family. Doctors did not realize she had come that far alone.

People ask to describe the pain--stinging, cramping, burning, stretching, gnawing? THROBBING AND NON-STOP.

Just read about a lady thinking she had it and it was a uterine sarcoma.

Where Has This Guy Been All My Life?

Where has this guy been all my life? Jonathan Edwards, preacher and writer, realizing he is unable to do anything without God's help, wrote these resolutions. What great copy for commencement speeches or next year's Lenten firsts.  I learned of it in Nothing To Fear by U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black

Resolved:  I will do whatever I think will be most to God’s glory. I will do all these things without any consideration of the time they take.  I will do whatever I understand to be my duty and will provide the most good and benefit to mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I encounter, and no matter how many I experience or how severe they may be.

 

If ever – really, whenever – I fail and fall and/or grow weary and dull; whenever I begin to neglect the keeping of any part of these resolutions; I will repent of everything I can remember that I have violated or neglected, …as soon as I come to my senses again.

 

Never to do anything, whether physically or spiritually, except what glorifies God.  In fact, I resolve not only to this commitment, but I resolve not to even grieve and gripe about these things, …if I can avoid it.

 

Never lose one moment of time; but seize the time to use it in the most profitable way I possibly can.

 

To live with all my might, …while I do live.

 

Never to do anything which I would be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.

 

When I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom – both of Jesus and of believers around the world; and remind myself of the reality of hell.

 

If I find myself taking delight in any gratification of pride or vanity, or on any other such empty virtue, I will immediately discard this gratification.

 

Never to do anything out of revenge.

 

Never to suffer the least emotions of anger about irrational beings.

 

Never to speak evil of anyone, except if it is necessary for some real good.

 

I will live in such a way, as I will wish I had done when I come to die.

 

To maintain the wisest and healthiest practices in my eating and drinking.

 

To endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness in the world to come as I possibly can.  To accomplish this I will use all the strength, power, vigor, and vehemence – even violence – I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.

 

Frequently take some deliberate action – something out of the ordinary – and do it for the glory of God.

 

To study the scriptures so steadily, and so constantly, and so frequently, that it becomes evident – even obvious – to myself that my knowledge of them has grown.

 

To strive to my utmost every week to be brought to a higher spiritual place, and to a greater experience of grace, than I was the week before.

 

Never to say anything at all against anybody; except when to do so is perfectly consistent with the highest standards of Christian honor and love to mankind; and except when it is consistent with the sense of greatest humility and awareness of my own faults and failings. Then, whenever I have said anything against anyone, I will examine my words against the strictest test of the Golden Rule.

 

To be strictly and firmly faithful to whatever God entrusts to me.  My hope is that the saying in Proverbs 20:6,  “A faithful man who can find?” may not be found to be even partly true of me.

 

Always do whatever I can towards making, maintaining, establishing and preserving peace, whenever it can be, but without over-balancing the value peace to such a degree that it becomes a detriment in other respects.

 

When telling stories, never to speak anything but the pure and simple truth.

 

To inquire every night, as I am going to bed, where I may have been negligent, what sin I have committed, and how I have denied myself. I will also do this at the end of every week, month and year.

 

Never to speak anything that is ridiculous, trivial or otherwise inappropriate on the Lord’s Day or Sabbath evening.

 

To ask myself at the end of every day, week, month and year, where I could have possibly done better in any respect.

 

To frequently renew my dedication to God, which was first made at my baptism and which I solemnly renewed when I was received into the communion of the church.

 

Never, from this day until the day I die, act as if I were in any way my own, but entirely and altogether belong to God, and then live in a way agreeable to this reality.

 

That nothing other than the gospel shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, even in the very least circumstance, anything other than gospel declares, demands and implies.

 

Never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance, but what advances the gospel.

 

To endeavor to my utmost to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peace able, contented, easy, compassionate, generous, humble, meek, modest, submissive, obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable, even, patient, moderate, forgiving, sincere temper; and to do at all times what such a temper would lead me to.

 

That neglect never shall be, if I can help it.

 

I will act in such a way as I think I will judge to have been best and most prudent, when I have come into the future world – Heaven.

 

I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again, so… Resolved: That I will live just as I can imagine I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age.

 

To improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my eternal safety, knowing that my confidence is in my Redeemer.

 

Whenever I hear anything spoken in a conversation of any person, if I think what is said of that person would be praiseworthy in me, I will endeavor to imitate it.

 

To endeavor to my utmost to act as I can imagine I would if I had already seen all the happiness of heaven, as well as the torments of hell.

 

Never to give up, nor even slacken up, in my fight with my own corruptions, no matter how successful or unsuccessful I may be.

 

When I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done all I am expected to do, and resolve to do everything I am able to do.  Once I have done all that God requires of me, I will accept whatever comes my way, and accept that it is just as God’s providence has ordered it.  I will, as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my own duty and my own sin.

 

Not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness and anger in conversations, but also to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness and graciousness.

 

Whenever I am most conscious of feelings of ill nature, bad attitude, and/or anger, I will strive then the most to feel and act good naturedly.  At such times I know I may feel that to exhibit good nature might seem in some respects to be to my own immediate disadvantage, but I will nevertheless act in a way that is gracious, realizing that to do otherwise would be imprudent at other times (i.e., times when I am not feeling so irked).

 

Whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of sorts, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within my own heart and/or soul, or the least irregularity in my behavior, I will immediately subject myself to the strictest examination. (i.e., Psalm 42.11)

 

I will not give way to that apathy and listlessness which I find artificially eases and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on God’s grace. Whatever excuses I may have for it, whatever my listlessness inclines me to do, or rather whatever it inclines me to neglect doing, I will realize that it would actually be best for me to do these things.

 

Never to do anything but what God, by the Law of Love, requires me to do. And then, according to Ephesians 6:6-8, I must do it willingly and cheerfully as to the Lord, and not for man.  I must remember that whatever good thing any man has or does he has first received from God; and that whenever a man is compelled by faith to act with love and charity toward others, especially those in need, that we do it as if to/for the Lord.

 

Whenever I experience those “groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26), of which the apostle speaks, and those “longings” that consume our souls, of which the psalmist speaks (Psalm 119:20), I will embrace them with everything I have within me. And I will not be weary of earnestly endeavoring to express my desires, nor of the repetitions so often necessary to express them and benefit from them.

 

To exercise myself in all my life long, with the greatest openness I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him: all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires; and everything in every circumstance.

 

I will endeavor always to keep a gracious demeanor, and air of acting and speaking in all places and in all companies, except if it should so happen that faithfulness requires otherwise.

 

After afflictions, to inquire in what ways I am now the better for having experienced them. What good have I received by them? What benefits and insights do I now have because of them?

 

Always to do that which I will wish I had done whenever I see others do it.

 

Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak.

 

My Lenten Firsts I DARE ME

As promised, here finally are my firsts I did for Lent. Starred ones were planned. 
I kept track on a Post-It note calendar so I could move them around as needed.

W 1 Write a veteran.* It was Raymond Odom at Arbor Rose Assisted Living in Farmerville who was in the newspaper. February is International Correspondence Writing Month (I should have searched for "incowrimo"), which means that I need to write 28 letters. Also wrote a letter to the nice Gateway manager who later called me to thank me. STAMPS.

T 2 Left someone random flowers.* $.

F 3 Got first real estate listing. FREE.

S 4 Went to Christian concert. It was loud and not what I expected at all. FREE.

S 5 Quilted.* FREE.

M 6 Made cake from scratch with fresh strawberries. FREE. HAD INGREDIENTS ANYWAY.

T 7 Played in the rain.* FREE.

W 8 Paid it forward at Starbucks. (Tenbucks). $10.

T 9 Listened to a different radio station.* Liberal one. They cussed a lot. FREE.

F 10 Escaped from my car window to practice after seeing it on the TODAY Show. FREE.

S 11 Decorated a cake.* I learned later that a ketchup squeeze bottle can be a free tool and told my friend who taught me. A little knowledge is dangerous. FREE. NEEDED CAKE ANYWAY.

S 12 Drank a Red Bull.* Got criticized for it being unhealthy. FREE. HUSBAND HAD ONE IN FRIDGE.

M 13 Put money in a meter, book I gave away and pocket of clothing donated.*  $. Someone who heard me speak said, "I should have found it."

T 14 Rode city bus.* $1.20. Have a Greyhound story.

W 15 Wrote POTUS.* STAMP.

T 16 Did Twitter detox.* FREE.

F 17 Sent money for cleft palate and dogs for the blind.* $.

SS 18 19 Self-defense class and babysat my godson. Same day, but counting as separate. FREE.

M 20 Looked at Craig's List. Someone was actually trying to sell her house on there. No one prequalified. FREE.

T 21 Why stop with POTUS? Sent the Pope an Easter card. The embassy wrote back! STAMP.

W 22 Practiced Mano Sinistra.* In the words of NC State great Charles Shackelford: "I can go to my left or right, I am amphibious." Someone posted that this can help prevent Alzheimer's. Also helps when you are scared of turbulence. President James Garfield could write Latin and Greek. He could write one with his left hand and the other with his right at the same time. FREE.

T 23 Made beauty scorecard of nature.* Noted beauty and inspiring things. Smiles. Sun. Laughter. FREE.

F 24 Got massage.* It hurt. $50.

S 25 Wore expensive necklace on a regular day and used the china.* FREE.

S 26 Walked with a cane for a day and used no mirror after I fixed my hair.* FREE.

M 27 Hygge. Hygge is a Danish term defined as a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being. It is pronounced hoo-guh and is associated with relaxation, indulgence and gratitude. These type of people lift their hats to each other and look at a stranger with an expression that indicates they wish they knew him well. The Year of Living Danishly means taking pleasure in the presence of gentle, soothing things, like coffee and cashmere socks.  It's candles, nubby woolens, shearling slippers, woven textiles, pastries, sheepskin rugs, lattes with foam hearts and a warm fireplace. It's a flannel blanket with tea, mulled wine. A songbook to affirm ideas of simplicity, cheerfulness, reciprocity, community and belonging. Kith and kin. FREE.

T 28 Made my own logo.* FREE.

W 29 Walked my dog backwards around the block.* Received some scolding that I could have gotten hurt. FREE.

T 30 Looked at the clouds from the ground.* FREE.

F 31 Escape Room!* $25.

S 32 Ate full meal with chopsticks, suggested from a man on the bus. "You are admired for your adventurous ways" was my fortune. Bus guy also suggested going to the library, playing bingo, doing karaoke, feeding the homeless. FREE.

S 33 Had a Backwards Day.* Stayed in PJs all day, then took shower at night and ate the corresponding meals backward. FREE.

M 34 Wrote Near Death Experience of my aunt. I never knew someone who had one personally. FREE.

T 35 Did creative photography rather than pictures of people.* FREE.

W 36 Wore white shoes before Easter. This got a lot of comments about hoping the fashion police were on a break. FREE.

T 37 I made note of sensory encounters. My friend Kay came home from months of rehab in NOLA. A miracle. I noted flags flying, the smell of bacon, catfish and roses, hearing something on the radio that made me howl and touching my bathed dog. Enjoyed feeling the breeze. This leaves taste. Just glad I have an appetite and food. Nothing special eaten today. Can I count Strawn's pie from last night? Also observed National Caramel Popcorn Day. FREE.

F 38 Went to George's for the first time since my father died in 2005. It was our place. FREE. HAD TO EAT ANYWAY.

S 39 Viewed our birdhouse that had a nest for the first time. FREE.

S 40 Made a cross out of my palm. FREE.

M 41 David had a good one. Don't do anything after work. Don't go anywhere. Etc. FREE.

T 42 Drift Away Float Center!* $50.

W 43 Counting oxygen bar today done yesterday. FREE.

T 44 Had a Purple Cow. FREE. HAD INGREDIENTS.

F 45 Lots of firsts not on purpose today. First Subway drive-through. First time without phone that didn't work for hours. FREE. HAD TO EAT ANYWAY.

S 46 Covered clock while sleeping. FREE.

EASTER

Did not get to do:

Yell timber. Husband wouldn't let me. But later did after a bad day at work.

Someone asked: Have you ever worn a hair covering in church as ladies did years ago?  If not, it could be a first. I have.

Escape from my trunk or binding as seen on TODAY Show. Convertible trunks are too small, even for me.

Have a game afternoon on a Sunday. "My childhood may be over, but that doesn't mean playtime is." Ron Olson

Make soap.

National Pillow Fight Day and other observances. Note: Use National Day Calendar site.

Watch TED Talk on chemistry or tai chi or philosophy. "We need to start work with the idea that we're going to learn every day. I learn, even at my position, every single day." Chanda Kochhcar

There is a hug drought.  Juan Mann did a free hug campaign. I will not play at tug o’ war.

I’d rather play at hug o’ war,

Where everyone hugs

Instead of tugs,

Where everyone giggles

And rolls on the rug,

Where everyone kisses,

And everyone grins,

And everyone cuddles,

And everyone wins.

Learn Four score and seven years ago, memorize phone numbers, etc. Use Gale at www.bossierlibrary.org under research tab for six-week classes or Launch Pad.

Go hunting.

Go on an AC call.

Smile all day.

Make button bracelet, crosses, other things on Pinterest.

Observe National POW Day.

Watch Housewives of NYC on Bravo. Or one of them. There would be a different emotional meltdown every show. Ugh.

Trampoline Park.

Embroider.

Gator Park.

Morse Code. Military Alphabet. Pi.

Don't whine. No negativity. No gossip. No complaining. No criticizing.

Geocache with LaBetha.

Leave a sticky note with an empowering message on a mirror in a restroom.

Shoot a stun gun.

Perfume swap.

Carry goldfish in Barkus parade.

Ideas I got at speech: feed a chicken, do Groupon daily, take pottery class at Noel, read a different book genre.

Second speech: Use a wheelchair. Have Bossier Council on Aging give me a senior proxy. Play the drums there.

Woodworking class.

Learn a good joke.

Meet a band member. Read  Pulitzer book.

Write a commencement speech. This is part of one by Justice John Roberts:

Sorry to say, but I hope you will be lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted. I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either. And when you lose, as you will from time to time, I hope every now and then, your opponent will gloat over your failure. It is a way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship. I hope you’ll be ignored so you know the importance of listening to others, and I hope you will have just enough pain to learn compassion.

Others say you should be yourself. You should try to become something better.

Once a week, you should write a note to someone. Not an email. A note on a piece of paper. It will take you exactly 10 minutes. By the end of the school year, you will have sent notes to 40 people. Forty people will feel a little more special because you did, and they will think you are very special because of what you did.

Bob Dylan wrote these words for his son, Jesse.

May God bless you and keep you always

May your wishes all come true

May you always do for others

And let others do for you

May you build a ladder to the stars

And climb on every rung

And may you stay forever young

May you grow up to be righteous

May you grow up to be true

May you always know the truth

And see the lights surrounding you

May you always be courageous

Stand upright and be strong

And may you stay forever young

May your hands always be busy

May your feet always be swift

May you have a strong foundation

When the winds of changes shift

May your heart always be joyful

May your song always be sung

And may you stay forever young

   Take a nap.

Flip through the TV channels.

Don't use a straw. There is a growing number of restaurants and bars that have united around eradicating the billions of straws discarded every year into landfill. Plastics can’t biodegrade, they last indefinitely – breaking down into smaller pieces, littering our landscapes and oceans, feeding into the food chain and potentially ending up on our dinner plates. Straw Wars.
    
After reading I Dare Me where the author did something new every day for a year, I tried something new for 40 days for Lent (and longer) along with my regular Lenten sacrifice. I'll be able to say BEEN THERE DONE THAT, GOT THE T-SHIRT, WASHED THE CAR WITH IT. And instead of I NEVER…IT'S HAVE YOU EVER?

I don't normally give something up for Lent, well, my cell phone once a long time ago. I do something. I got this book for $2 on bookbub and it changed my life.

In another excellent book, On Fire, the author said our enthusiasm saps out sometimes and boredom seeps in. What people are really saying is they have too many things to choose from and they're lazy.

What have I not been awake for in my life, asked Jennifer Grey during a show I was watching.

I remember seeing monuments in Washington, D.C. for the first time and jumping out of the cab seat. I pointed at every landmark. I felt excited. Awake. Alive. Awesome. Firsts are always memorable. But we later go through the motions, barely noticing what is in front of us. We're sleepwalking and the great adventure of life can mellow. So, my idea is to no longer be an observer, but participate. My father always said you can march in the parade or watch it.

Angelina Jolie says, "If you don't get out of the box you've been raised in, you won't understand how much bigger the world is." I didn't know a poorer side of Shreveport existed until I had a college photojournalism assignment to shoot it. Firsts we remember are: bike ride, school, kiss, dance, driving, heartbreak, job and plane ride. We remember the first winner of Survivor or Celebrity Apprentice or the Bachelorette. Second place is first loser. A penny always loses its shine and the honeymoon always ends.

How many times have you tried to coax someone to go somewhere with you and they don't want to, do and have fun? You never know until you go.

The author went to a theater alone. I used to do this all the time until the Lafayette incident. And parades and an LSU game. Your own company IS good enough. You are enough. It's better to be alone than in the wrong company. Everybody is going to have critics.

"Relax and enjoy," the author said. "Small things can bring freshness.” I’ve eaten and traveled alone. To North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, Oregon and Alaska to complete my goal of the 50 states. The world is too beautiful to stay in one place.

Do things you are not a maven of…she said she is now not an opera virgin anymore. People say: I can't, I'm too old, I will look stupid. So what? I have learned not to care what people think of me anymore to a certain extent.

As she met people since she was a reporter, she got story tips on recycling programs, on-campus drinking, a restaurant with a bad report.  Passing info on to people is cool. One friend said my list was gold.

Ben Franklin knew life was a classroom. He invented and created libraries, fire departments, insurance, books, musical instruments and newspapers.

Experiences are like bizarre exclamation points in your life. Those who put on lab coats become much more attentive and studious, the author said.

She survived a large intestine removal at 33, breast cancer at 35 and kidney cancer at 45. Her daughter thought of the first idea and it helped her get up every day.

I love books where people do something for a year--wear a nametag, be biblical, give up something, write a daily thank you, find a new friend, photograph a tree. I have such book ideas myself.

I am blessed to have such firsts as riding in a KC-10, spending the day riding around with a governor, learning how to suture, being a Macy’s parade balloon holder, reigning as Mardi Gras queen, being on the LSU football field during a game several times, finishing the bible, riding a sweet potato picker, speaking at a national conference, milking a cow and piglet, driving a train, completing the Polar Bear Dip, writing a book, ghost hunting, attending a national football championship with LSU in it, reading movie lines, clowning, meeting celebrities, driving a $120,000 car, making a mosaic, learning to make wreaths, painting the eye of the Tiger, being in an apple eating and crawfish eating contest, yoga, skiing both snow and water, running a 5K to prove to a boyfriend, cycling around Cypress Lake--same guy, staying up all night twice, watching a 1,000-year-old Indian canoe get excavated, standing on the stage of Ryman Auditorium, doing every job when I managed the Remington Suite Hotel--even housekeeping, and visiting another religious denomination.

I'm going to be a Yes Woman. "Say yes. And you'll figure it out afterwards," said Tina Fey. (Although I'm conflicted because learning to say no is important, too).

Please offer suggestions for next time. The author ate a scorpion (I'm counting someone else in the family for something similar). I won’t do that or bungee jump, ride in a hot air balloon, or scuba or anything in water, so don’t get too excited. I know Peter tried something new when he walked on water, but... Lili Price, who had a leaking brain aneurysm got scolded from her doctor when he heard she went sky diving. But she said, "Aren't we all ticking time bombs with programmed destination points?" Instead of going with the flow, I am the flow, she said. She taps her deepest longings. If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough. The Illness can become WEllness with others.

Quote that captured my attention. Sebastian from NCIS NOLA  on his first day on the job, he got a little excited, couldn't sleep, so came in at 5 a.m. to get a head start on things and unpack his stuff. I'm so nervous, you know? Like, “first day at school and you don't know anyone” kind of nervous, but that's strange, right? 'Cause I, I know everyone here. Never easy taking a new job. Especially on an experienced team. He was told he was there for a reason, would do great and got his service weapon. Then the phone goes off. Four dead bodies... Including a sailor. "Yes! All right. Man, that's insensitive. I 'm sorry. Just first case as an agent, you know?"

More quotes stand out to me: Because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. Edward Hale. When life hands you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make orange juice because being different is good. Andrea Finical
Do you really want to look back on your life and see how wonderful it could have been had you not been afraid to live? Caroline Myss

I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine. -Neil Armstrong

Only 3% of the population writes down their goals. The rest of society works for these people. – Brian Tracy

How do you become interesting? According to Jonathan Goldsmith, take chances, don't give up, make courageous choices, say thirsty for adventure.

During my Lenten days, I read a story of kids of a deceased man finding his pouch with rings and trinkets and three pieces of folded notebook paper: "Things I Would Like To Do in My Lifetime!" written at 29, the year his daughter was born, covering both sides of the page. Be interviewed on the radio. Make money in the stock market. Set up a charitable fund. Drive a Corvette. Teach a class about wine. Make a rubber band ball. Pan for gold.  The kids realized they already did some of what he wanted to. Get my picture in a national magazine. The writer daughter did. There were 13 they did, but he only did five. Give my children the most love, the best education and best example I can give. Wasn't checked, but should have been. 

Some of the author's examples can be found at www.Luanncahn.com:

Don’t swear for a day.

Eat vegetarian. Or a foreign food.

Cartwheel.

Mechanical bull.

Spoke to a stranger.

Smoked a cigar.

Shoveled horse manure.

Ate dessert first.

No coffee, no gum.

I came, I saw, I drummed.

Secret Santa.

Hike up Runyon Canyon in the hills of L.A. Go up to the top to see a prayer box created by designer Jeannie Mai. The idea is you put a prayer or a thought into the box, then you take a prayer out of the box.

She said she would sing if someone bid enough on something.

Joined Damsels in Success group. (Tell Ann Marie).

He had me at hello, she said, on one she really wanted to do.

May the firsts be with you is how she ends the book.

The speech was meant to be. Driving back from Waco I heard Darius Rucker's song that said When was the last time you did something for the first time? Let yourself go. Follow that feeling. Let your hair down. Feel alive. Followed by Brad Paisley's Last Time for Everything, mentioning no longer getting woken up at 5 a.m. for Santa.

Who wants to do unimportant and uninteresting things? Upon hearing this talk, one of my Facebook friends sent this: I pray God quickens creative ideas in you to help you prosper, live wisely and share his love.

Holly and Paul in Breakfast at Tiffany's agree to spend the day doing things that each has never done before. They go the library and steal something.

Still is a book where she took a photograph a day of found nature. Love everyday doings. Crabs, wildflowers, sumac leaves, pine cones.

The Bossier Council on Aging listeners said they wanted to be a pilot, travel, stop cussing and ride her bike. I could have some purposely not doing items, too.

St. Faustina gave up sleeping with a pillow.