wish list for life with new lungs (one day)

i'm so excited to be participating in my first ever blogger challenge! thanks to amy and piper for inspiring the challenge.  to be fair, they didn't exactly dub it a "blogger challenge" per se, but i'm going to take the liberty of interpreting it as such.

what i love about blogger challenges is that they force you out of your comfort zone.  it is a totally different ball game when you are no longer self-selecting your own blogging topic.  i truly appreciate the opportunity to think deeply about a topic that is not top of mind for me, as i'm not yet in need of new lungs.  i think it is a great exercise in self-reflection.

i'm struck that the things i would wish for most with new lungs are everyday and unheroic. i'm not looking to climb mount everest or even run a marathon necessarily, though the option would be nice. rather, i just want to be able to do things i already love to do with a little more joy, fearlessness and gusto.

so...here it is. my wish list for life with new lungs (one day):

• laugh with no restraint
• hike -- nothing major, just a little here and there when the opportunity presents
• wake up without the need to cough
• wake up feeling truly refreshed
• pack light for a weekend getaway -- ok, maybe i don't already do this one, but i'm envious of friends that can simply use a weekend bag and i'd love to be able to do that too one day. my argument for not packing light in the clothing/shoe department now is that my load is already heavy, so a couple more outfit options is hardly making a difference.
• plan for the future and believe it before i see it
• be the first person ready to go in the morning
• have energy to keep going and do more at the end of a long day
• travel to high altitude places without concern
• go to sleep the moment i'm tired
• play a competitive match of tennis
• get through an airport security line search-free legitimately and not as an oversight

as unfathomably blissful as that all sounds, my greatest wish right now is to keep chugging along with the set of lungs i've already got.  they have served me well for 25.5 years and counting and for that i am and will always be indescribably grateful.  for all their quirks and enigmatic qualities, i've grown quite attached to them.  they have actually been fair, even reasonable, with me -- letting me have my share of fun and reeling me in when i've gone too far.  i hope to get as much use out of the good old lungs i was born with as i possibly can while maintaining a fulfilling, colorful and loving life.