Keeping in theme with my last post I decided to create a bucket list. I didn't envision this as a difficult project, but it turned out to be a lot harder than I originally thought! Many of my original ideas like "have lunch with Hillary Clinton" seemed nearly impossible, so I decided to remove anything that was unrealistic. The following is a list of 50 things broken down into categories that I dream (no matter how big, small, vague, or specific) of accomplishing in my lifetime.
Activities
1. Skydive (and convince my husband to come with me)
2. Learn to horseback ride
3. Sit in the audience at the Daily Show
4. Learn to cook
5. Successfully keep ONE plant alive
6. Grow a sustainable garden (clearly contingent on #5)
7. Go to Harry Potter World
8. Take a photography class
9. Relearn how to use a dark room
10. Own and learn how to use a D-SLR camera
11. Read more classic literature
12. Scuba dive
13. Swim with dolphins
14. Become a bad ass hiker
15. Pay off my credit card
16. Write more
Travel
17. Visit all 50 US States
18. Go to the Middle East
19. Visit Lake Tahoe
20. Visit Alaska
21. Stay in an over-water bungalow in Bora Bora
22. Visit WWII sites in Germany
23. Go to Santorini, Greece, and stay in a cliffside hotel
24. Visit Dublin, Ireland, and follow in the footsteps of Leopold Bloom
25. Hike in Yellowstone National Park
26. Go to Switzerland
27. Visit Hever Castle in Kent (Anne Boleyn's childhood home)
28. Eat fresh sea food and lounge on the beach in Cape Cod
29. Climb Mount Everest base camp
30. Spend a crazy weekend in Vegas
31. Visit Asia
32. Take my dad on a baller vacation
Personal Fulfillment and Growth
33. Go to Veterinary School
34. Regularly volunteer at an animal shelter
35. Volunteer at a wildlife rescue
36. Live on a self-sufficient homestead
37. Raise farm animals
38. Run an animal rescue on our property
39. Own a home with a wraparound porch and shutters (cliche, I know)
40. Live in a foreign country
41. Volunteer abroad
42. Have something published
43. Own and decorate a home
44. Make my home 100% green and sustainable
45. Recycle more
46. Have a successful marriage that lasts forever
47. Be more involved with politics on a local level
48. Learn to relax
49. Make a difference
50. Do meaningful work
While trying to formulate my list I discovered there were so many awesome things that I have already had the chance to experience in my short lifetime. There is no doubt this exercise helped me to appreciate my many blessings and accomplishments. Think reverse bucket list--a list of 50 things that I've accomplished or experienced that I am super proud of.
My Reverse Bucket List
I have:
1. Gotten a tattoo with special meaning
2, Married my best friend and the love of my life
3. Hiked the rainforest in Puerto Rico
4. Visited Old San Juan
5. Whale watched in the Pacific Ocean
6. Taken a cruise
7. Snow skied in upstate New York, West Virginia, Colorado, and the Smokey Mountains
8. Gone on several mission trips to Trinidad & Tobago, and Barbados
9. Donated to the ASPCA
10. Graduated from college with honors
11. Spent 2 weeks traveling England and Scotland
12. Visited Atlantis in the Bahamas
13. Toured Buckingham and Kensington Palace
14. Watched the changing of the guards in London
15. Visited Loch Ness (sorry to disappoint but we didn't see any monsters)
16. Spent the night in a castle
17. Gone to Edinburgh, Scotland during International Festival (so awesome)
18. Visited Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle
19. Visited Stonehenge (one of the 7 wonders of the world)
20. Traveled by train across Great Britain
21. Taken an international flight
22. Jet skied
23. Water skied
24. Parasailed
25. Boated the Intercoastal Waterway in Florida
26. Snorkeled in St. Thomas
27. Visited New York City
28. Seen a Broadway play
29. Shopped on Canal Street
30. Lived and vacationed in Washington DC
31. Taken a car ferry
32. Swam with sharks in the Bahamas
33. Lived in 4 different states
34. Visited Cozumel, Mexico
35. Had dinner at the top of the Space Needle
36. Hiked and white water rafted in the Smokey Mountains
37. Visited British Columbia
38. Visited Montreal
39. Visited Vancouver
40. Zip lined, rock climbed, and white water rafted in Mont Tremblant, Canada
41. Flown in the co-pilot seat of a cessna
42. Kissed a stranger
43. Used a public shower
44. Swam in Bioluminescent Bay
45. Star gazed on Isle de Vieques
46. Flown first class
47. Adopted a special needs dog
48. Visited a Buddhist temple
49. Fallen in love
50. And experienced the pain of loss
This isn't supposed to a "brag" list. These are experiences that I've really had. At the time, I thought they were great, but reading back through them (especially when I've been at work stuck in front of multiple computer screens) they seem even more "wow." I get such a lift when I read this, particularly as I approach my mid-twenties and life can sometimes seems a bit scary and stagnant. I get so excited at thought of life and all of the future adventures I am going to have. Now, it's your turn to create a bucket list. Go ahead, try it!
Full Post
No comments:
Post a Comment