In the blogosphere there are ideas for posts, equivalent in some ways to writing exercises, that have come to be called “memes”. (I’ll skip the details about the origins of the idea behind the word “meme” and why using it for this seems slightly inaccurate. Maybe some other time.) Anyway, one blogger will suggest a topic, and post about it, and encourage others to create their own versions.

One that’s making the rounds is called “Ten things that I’ve done that you probably haven’t.” Because I’ve done some unusual things, and because occasionally reminding myself of that bolsters my spirits, I decided I’d take a crack at it. Though once I got started, it was hard to stop. Here are my ten, and ten more for good measure.

1. I’ve survived cancer – twice.

2. I’ve heard the low bass note of sand sliding down a 600-foot tall dune, while cavorting naked on it in the moonlight.

3. I’ve hand-milked a herd of dairy cows before breakfast, and studied Enlightenment philosophy after breakfast.

4. I have kayaked through clouds of shrimp, at the foot of volcanoes.

5. I’ve watched a friend’s last breath.

6. I’ve had my heart shocked back into beating.

7. I’ve worked at, and held shares in, a company during its record-breaking IPO.

8. I’ve crossed the Continental Divide 5 times on a bicycle.

9. I’ve slaughtered a steer by hand, and later eaten its beef.

10. I’ve been stung by a scorpion.

11. I’ve eaten rattlesnake.

12. I was born as the twelfth generation of my family in North America.

13. I’ve been in 48 of 50 states.

14. I’ve cooked Thanksgiving dinner on an open fire.

15. I’ve been in a neighborhood hit by a tornado, during my Christmas vacation.

16. I have surgical scars on every limb, my torso and my head, and I carry more than 5 metal screws and 2 metal plates in my body.

17. I’ve taken coast-to-coast trips on four different modes of transportation.

18. I’ve played in a game on the world’s largest Monopoly board.

19. I’ve gone miles through a foreign land just to see deer antlers that are locked up in a church.

20. I’ve adjusted Caroline Kennedy’s bicycle seat.