...and I'm still breathing. Isn't that enough of an accomplishment?

Well, no, I suppose it isn't. Someone recently shared a quote with me (thanks, Stasha!) that I'll share with you:

If you've accomplished all that you've planned for yourself, then you have not planned enough.
~Edward Everett Hale~

Let's think about this one and apply it using a common real-life example.

Suppose you set a certain amount of career goals for yourself, and you manage to accomplish them all by the time you're, say, 45. You now can retire. But what do you with those 30 or 40 years left of your life? Well, you have other plans, right? Traveling, or writing that novel that's somewhere in your subconscious, enjoying grandchildren and the like. Taking up new hobbies, or devoting more time to old ones. You still have things planned.

But what if you finish all of those? You've traveled everywhere you want to, you've built ships in bottles for every shelf every relative has in their entire houses or knitted them all a month's worth of sweaters each, or decided that writing is not in your blood.

You've finished everything that you've set out to do and have nothing left. Is that a life well lived, or a life not worth living anymore? Sometimes it depends on the person's perspective who is in that situation. Even just the vow to get up out of bed each morning can constitute planning to a small extent.

Personally, if I accomplished everything that I ever wanted to, I think I would be very bored and would feel unfulfilled. There would be nothing to look forward to anymore.

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That said... It's time for the Friday Five. I've been watching this appear on other people's blogs, so I figured it's time to add it to mine.

1. What's the most daring thing you've ever done?
Bungee jumping off a bridge (illegally) half my lifetime ago.

2. What one thing would you like to try that your mother/friend/significant other would never approve of? Hrm... that's a hard one. I can't think of anything.

3. On a scale of 1-10, what's your risk factor? (1=never take risks, 10=it's a lifestyle)
I'd say it's about a 4 (if you include ideas I pursue at work)... I'm a wimp now.

4. What's the best thing that's ever happened to you as a result of being bold/risky?
Standing on the top of a mountain breathing in fresh air and being awed by the view...

5. ... and what's the worst?
Having one of my knees shift out of joint on a steep way down, skidding down dirt and rocks about 35 feet on my rear, and needing significant amounts of help over a 2 hour period to get back to the rest area where I could properly tend to the injury...