It may be an early mid-life crisis or just a touch of cabin fever, but I�m feeling the need to shake things up in my life. While my family doesn�t quite know what to make of my recent changes, they�re waiting patiently to see where this tidal wave of transition takes me.

Probably the most dramatic external change is that I decided to became a redhead last week. I was in the mood for something new and I�d already tried bright blonde a couple years ago, so red it was. I�ve also ordered contacts for the first time in ten years.

Other recent developments include a desire to write a novel, which is odd because I usually prefer to write shorter pieces. The tentative plot for this book lead me to read Jack Kerouac�s famous, enigmatic book On the Road.

These are all things that I couldn�t have predicted I�d be doing just a few short months ago. It pays to be open to change.

Have you ever written a "things I want to do in my lifetime" list? I recently pulled mine out, an undated 5 x 7 index card started when I was 16 or 17.

Some items are obviously specific to the times, like wanting to see the rock band Jethro Tull in concert "at least 4 more times." I saw them once more.

Others represent things I don�t recall ever wanting to do, like play on a field hockey team, a soccer team, even a badminton team. Add to this an interest in water skiing, cross country skiing and horse riding and you have a far more active and athletic person than I remember being at that age.

The more "daring" things include seeing live volcano in action and/or a tornado, jumping off all three "cliffs" at Calves Pen on Lake George and going 100 mph in a car.

Then there are the enduring things. The things it seems I�ve always wanted to do:

"Play the flute." I missed my chance at summer music camp at age 10 and have regretted it ever since. My daughter says she�s interested in giving it a whirl. Maybe I�ll learn through her.

"Play in a Scrabble tournament." I still love to play Scrabble but after looking into tournament-level play a few years ago I decided that it was too intense.

"Buy a nice 35 mm camera and use it." I finally did that last year.

While it�s great to look over this old list, I plan to start a new one, to reflect the person I am now and the person I hope to someday be.

Since I started this metamorphosis, I�ve run into songs, poems and people to encourage me along the way. One thing is a poem and book "I Will Not Die An Unlived Life" by Dawna Markova which begins with these words: "I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire."

Also, I�ve been inspired by movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which I saw a total of three times, including once with my daughter.

The most unexpected inspiration has been found in a song by the rock group Van Halen, Right Now, which starts off, "Don�t want to wait til tomorrow. Why put it off another day?"

Yeah. Why should I wait?

Carpe diem! Seize the day!

Take a risk. Take a chance. What have you got to lose?

Something that�s on my original list is to "drive (and possibly own) a Jeep." This has continually resurfaced over the years. At the time I first wrote it down, a friend of mine had a black one. I never drove it. I don�t remember if that�s because he said no or if I was too intimidated back then by driving a stick shift to even ask. But I�ll never forget how much fun it was to go riding around in.

For the last month or so I�ve been thinking about trading in my nice, stable workhorse of a car�a 1995 Taurus stationwagon, built before they changed to a more "bug-eyed" design�and get a yellow Jeep.

I might not do this right away. I rather like not having a car payment right now. When the time is right, though, I already know what I�d like to take for a test drive. Of course, if I still have red hair I�ll have to make sure it doesn�t clash with the yellow of the Jeep.