Dear Friend,

Recently, a friend e-mailed a copy of a letter to me. It was written by Nicolas Hayek, who owns several Swiss watch manufacturers, including Swatch. Even though he became a billionaire from making objects that measure time, he accepts that he can never possess it or stop it. What is important is what we do with the gift of time, knowing that we only have a finite, unknown quantity of it.

This spring as we enjoy the beautiful bluebonnets and signs of life blossoming around us, please "take time" to do this exercise. Make a list of 100 things that you REALLY want to do with the time that you have on this earth. This is a great thing to do with the significant others in your life, but the list should be yours. It's not as easy as it sounds. My list only has 34 items on it so far, but the idea is for it to be a lifelong assignment. Just thinking about the things that you want to do is not enough; the power is in writing them down.

Number 11 on my list is to take a white-water rafting trip on the Msta River in Russia. Rick Marsi, a great friend I met in Belize and who has been to Russia numerous times, is taking a group of 14 people there this June and I will be one of them. It's not "practical" for me to go on the trip at that time, but then the list is not supposed to be practical. Life is too short to always be "practical".

I know several of my clients and friends have made trips to Belize and Costa Rica after listening to stories of my journeys there. I would love to hear about your stories as you accomplish items on your list. To get a copy of Hayek's letter that inspired me to begin "The List" you can e-mail me at joeb@milestonemortgage.com or just call me and I'll snail mail it to you. For a fabulous web site on nature and the trip to Russia, visit my friend's site at www.rickmarsi.com

Who knows, we may be in the same raft this June.

Happy Spring TIME

Joe Brown