Feeling philosophical

I recently engaged in an interesting conversation with an old friend. He commented that Love in the Time of Cholera was a must read and we proceeded to try and come up with a list of "must reads." He contributed more titles than I did for one reason. I don't think of anything as being a "must" read for everyone, just "should" read. It's different if we are getting specific about a person's likes and interests, then I can give you short lists of must reads on a topic or in a given genre. But overall, for everyone? The only book I can think of as being close to a "must read" is To Kill a Mockingbird.
So naturally, as my normal state of rest is serious and introspective, this made me think about whether or not I had any "musts" in other areas. Again, not so much, although more than with books.
1. Learn to read.
2. Learn to cook at least one really good meal.
3. Develop a life long hobby.
4. Be passionate about something.
5. Learn to swim.
The last one is tricky, because one could argue that if you live somewhere where there is no place to swim (like a desert) or where the temperature prevents swimming (like the Arctic Circle) that it is irrelevant. Perhaps. But nevertheless, having that skill in your repertoire even if you never need it, is better than the other way around.
I thought about adding learning to drive, but that isn't as vital as the other things. Learning to drive is definitely a "should," as is learn to type. Although that is almost a must in this day and age.
Hmm...I hadn't really thought about how to end this post. I've been sort of a mental jumble lately. I think it is because of all the traveling I've done recently (having gone to California for the ALA national conference) and then to visit my sister. It could also be the end of the fiscal year crunch and corresponding chaos I've been wading through. It could be that I currently have the outlook that the community I am living in is slowly chipping away at my soul. I don't know. Maybe all of these things.