Two weeks ago, the popular Katy Trail restaurant, Company Cafe, put up a massive chalkboard wall on its exterior, asking diners and passers by one question: What do you want to do before you die?
The project is a partnership with The Intown Chabad, a local Jewish community led by Rabbi Zvi Drizin. The point of this experiment is to get people to examine their potential and share their aspirations. Company Café operations manager Jeff Wells had seen similar projects in other cities and thought the restaurant would be a perfect fit for the concept. That’s why he put up the “Before I Die” wall.
“It’s such a focal point on the trail,” he said of the 15-foot board, covered in multicolored chalk. “We liked it because it really is a wonderful community project.”
So what’s on Dallas’ bucket list? Scribbles range from lofty to strange goals. Some want to travel the world, learn another language, and save a life. Others (who might not be taking the wall so seriously) write that they’d like to puke on a friend or bathe in cream corn. As for Wells’ dream?
“I haven’t written on it yet,” he said. “I’m trying to find the right one.”
Sarah Bennett graduated from Southern Methodist University in May 2011 with a degree in English/Creative Writing. She admits her nerdy passion for historical fiction, and can be found on the weekends cheering on the Mustangs from the Boulevard.
