Every once in a while, something happens in your life that changes you. Mine came when I was 21 years old. I still remember sitting in Journalism 201 after seeing on Facebook that two of my high school classmates had died in a car accident.
I wasn’t particularly close to either one of them but it was one of those moments that shook me. I know I should have been listening but I spent the entirety of that class and most of the week that followed writing out a bucket list. I’ve now carried it around with me for more than 6 years. As I said back then,
“No one wants to face their own mortality but sometimes we have to. Even in our 20s we are not untouchable. And we don’t have forever. We have a very finite set of days and it is up to us to choose how we will fill them.
Some people live a whole lifetime in 20 years and some people don’t even come close to that in 80 I don’t know about you but I’d rather be in the first group. Because like it or not, I could die tomorrow and i want to live life in a way that I would be okay with that.”
21 year old me, being philosophical
It has gotten tattered and ripped and has grown to be more than 6 pages front and back. A while ago, after a mild panic when I thought I had lost it, my husband suggested that I digitize it. So here it is, friends! I’ve been working my way through it but it seems that, for each one I cross off, I add two more. But that is the way I want to live my life – always striving for something new.
So, if you have any suggestions, let me know!
- Travel to a country for every year old I am (or 100 – I’d be happy with that)
Live abroad- Live on every continent (except maybe Antarctica
- Be fluent in another language
Run a half marathon(did it with my mother!)Run a marathon(again, did it with my mother!)Try a new sportGo snorkeling- Go scuba diving
Go skiing- Trek the Inca Trail
Climb a mountainGo horseback ridingGo skydivingLearn to play chess- Be on a C.D.
Fall in love- Surprise someone
- Make a difference in someone’s life
- Be a mentor
- Pursue my passion
Write a book- Fly in a hot air balloon
Sing in front of an audience- Go on a volunteer trip
- Pay someone’s parking meter
Get marriedDance in the rainRun barefoot on a beachReally experience a sunriseReally experience a sunset- See the northern lights
- Witness an eclipse
Go stargazingPlant a treeGet a pet- Give a speech to 1,000+ people
- Throw a massive party
- Get a complete makeover
- Take a social etiquette class
Take a dance class- Be a successful matchmaker
- Get an MBA or Masters
- Learn a new instrument
- Win the lottery
- Learn a martial art
Go on a road tripGo backpackingGo hiking- Go surfing
Go windsurfing- Go on a trip without an itinerary
- Go swimming with dolphins
- Go swimming with sharks
- Act in a film
- Knit a scarf
Write a songMake a homemade mealLive through 4 seasonsRead a random bookFall asleep outsideTry being a vegetarianFold origami cranes- Go on a meditation retreat
- Pay for my parents’ vacation
- Participate in a movement
- Become an expert in something
- See the cherry blossoms in Japan
Bury the hatchet with someoneHave a picnicDo something out of characterFly first class- Hit the bullseye on a dartboard
- Climb a volcano
- Fly in a helicopter
- Meet someone famous
Tell my family I love them(which we should all do more!)Ride on a roller coaster- Go on a cruise
Be in a fulfilling relationshipGo on a romantic getawayDo a somersaultDo a front flipDo a back flipVisit a castle- Change the world
Help someone in need- Learn sign language
See the Mona Lisa- Go to a costume party
- Gain enlightenment
- Attend my high school reunion
- Teach someone to read
- Be published (does publishing this blog count?)
- Sew something I can wear
- Make a candle
- Make jewelry
- Blow glass
- Work on a potter’s wheel
- Build a tree fort
- Create a family tree
Refinish old furniture(sitting in my lovely old rocker right now!)- Take an art class
- Take a cooking class
- Write a letter in calligraphy
- Get my handwriting analyzed
- Create a scrapbook
- Make a photo journal
- Make stained glass
- Make soap
Get a degree- Attend a seminar
Teach a classSay hello in 10 languagesTake an IQ testJump start a carGet CPR certifiedMemorize a poem- Read everything my favorite author has written (JK Rowling keeps writing new things so this will be unchecked for a while!
Read a classic novelResearch my hometown historyRead a banned bookGet a foot massage- Get a bikini wax (I’m not so sure about this one anymore…)
Get a professional massageGet a facial- Go to a fashion show
Be a blondeBe a brunette- Be a red head
- Wear a kilt
Drink Jameson in Dublin(went with my Jame-o loving dad!)Get a spray tan- Take a mud bath
- Earn 6 figures in one year
- Own real estate
- Gamble
Sell something on the internetBe debt free- Create a passive income
- Shop on Rodeo Drive
- Make a career out of hobby
- Sleep on satin sheets
- Drink tea at a Japanese Tea House
- Create a recipe
- Bake a loaf of bread
- Make fresh pasta
- Have a wine collection
Eat escargot- Eat a meal cooked by a famous chef
- Make ice cream
- Wade in a cranberry bog (just read something about these and spiders so maybe not…)
Be in a food fight- Eat fire
Catch, cook, and eat a fishPick fruit from a tree to make a pie- Eat at a 5-star restaurant
- Do a body shot
Attend a hog roastOrder room service(this is now my guilty pleasure when traveling for work)- Toss pizza dough
Eat caviar- Eat frog legs
- Leave a 100% tip for a waiter
Learn how to use chopsticks- Enter a food eating contest
- Stomp grapes
- Receive a fan letter
- Be an extra in a movie
- Go to a dinner theater
See a famous piece of artHave my picture in the paper(small towns – gotta love them)Contact someone with the same name- See a show in Las Vegas
Be on T.V.Go to a drive-in movie- Go to a book signing
- See a ballet
Go to a Renaissance festival- Have a private booth at a club
- Perform a magic trick
- Enter a limbo contest
- Crash a party
- Walk on the red carpet
- See my name in credits
- Start a fire without matches
Do a bar / pub crawl- Take a pole dancing class
See a Broadway show- Be in a Broadway show
Read a book before seeing the movieGo to a blues bar- Attend a black tie gala
- Attend a premier
- Ride on a motorcycle
- Swim with sting rays
- Wrap a snake around my neck
Explore a caveParasailWhite water raft- Ride an ATV on sand dunes
- Go surfing on sand dunes
Jump off a cliff- Bungee jump
- Dog sled (Coming December 2019)
- Walk on hot coals
- Sail a boat
- Rope swing into water
- Ride on a luge
- Go on a police ride along
- Ride a mechanical bull
- Kiss a sea lion
- Go clam digging
Eat an oysterEat a bugSwim in the oceanGo whale watching- Milk a cow
- Hike every trail in a national park
- See the salmon run
- Swim with turtles
Swim with a school of fish- Stand under a waterfall
Go to the top of the Empire State BuildingGo to the top of the Eiffel Tower- See penguins in their natural habitat
See a coral reef- Name a star
Climb to the top of a tree- Herd cattle
Feed an alligator- Horseback ride on the beach
- Horse and carriage ride
- Hug a redwood
Attend a rodeoAttend a rodeo in the rodeo capital of the world- Sleep in a stable
- Shear a sheep
- Make a snowman
- Sleep in an igloo
- Go to an ice bar
Sing a karaoke duetWrite a love letterFind my first loveMake a new friend- Bring baked goods to a neighbor
- Get my grandparents’ life stories
Carve my initials in a tree- Share a cab with a stranger
- Organize a family portrait
Make a bucket listDonate clothing- Build a house with habitat for humanity
- Build a house in another country
- Go green
Meditate- Serve in a soup kitchen
Ring bells for Salvation ArmyBe president(Okay, so it was just of my sorority – I’m counting it!)Start a gratitude journal- Sponsor a child
- Be a big brother / big sister (as in the program – I didn’t forget about you Matt and Megan!)
Clean up trash at the parkCompost- Plant a community garden
- Join the marrow list
- Do a charity walk
Make a website- Have a garden
- Get hypnotized
- Watch sumo wrestling
Attend a small town event- Have a night at the opera
- Be in the audience for a TV show
- Complete a 1,000 piece puzzle
Join a book club- Haggle at an open market
- Walk on a nude beach
- Make a balloon animal
Go skinning dipping- Walk on stilts
Start a collection(we’ve got a killer collection of post cards!)- Build a sand castle
- Own an original piece of artwork
- Tie a sailors knot
Pick a lock- Learn how to whistle with 2 fingers
- Build a house of cards
- Dumpster dive
- Slide down a firehouse pole
Golf 18 holes- Learn to ice skate backwards (I married a hockey player so this is embarrassing)
- Climb an indoor rock wall
- Skeet shoot
- Go paint balling
- Learn how to fence
Take a self defense classDo the splits(I’ve been a gymnast since I was 4 – this was a given)- Do a 5K
drive an ATV- Drive a tractor
- Test drive a convertible
- Go in a submarine
- Take a segway tour
Ride a gondola- Ride in a tuk tuk
Ride in a cable carTube down a riverGo zipliningRide on a trainRide on the Eurail(I only learned later that’s not an actual train line)Drive on the autobahnRide on a double decker busRide on a double decker plane- Ride a zamboni
- Tour Mayan ruins
Go in a natural hot spring- Visit a ghost town
- Tour a working farm (Coming November 2019)
- Tour a factory
Tour a vineyardVisit a butterfly sanctuaryTake a trip with my parentsTake a trip with my grandparentsTour AlcatrazHave dinner on the SeineTake a trip with my best friendTake a trip with my husband- Explore the rainforest
Visit a concentration camp(Always humbling)- Take part in an anthropological dig
Go to an aquariumLive in a foreign country- Tour a lighthouse
- Tour the Pyramids at Giza
- Visit a Buddhist temple
- Visit every U.S. state
- Take a spontaneous road trip
- Go on a safari
Attend a luauGo to a bed and breakfastWalk on a glacierVisit a state capitalVisit Washington D.C.- Stay at a working ranch
- Stay on a sheep farm
- Stay in an underwater hotel
- Stay in a castle
- Stay in a haunted hotel
- Drink beer at Oktoberfest
- Go to Carnival
- Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland
- Celebrate New Years Eve in Times Square
- Celebrate the 4th of July in Washington D.C.
Pan for goldVisit the Grand Canyon- Visit Macchu Picchu
Visit the LouvreVisit St. Marks’ Basilica- Go to La Tomatina
- Go to the running of the bulls
Go to Croatia- Swim in the world’s largest pool
- Go zorbing
Drink tea at Kensington Palace- Play the Old Course at St. Andrews (coming October 2019)
- Try archery
- Solve a Rubik’s cube
- Learn to juggle
- Attend the summer Olympics
- Attend the winter Olympics
Visit the original Olympics GroundsBecome an early riserLive on a house on a lakeDrive a jet skiStay in the Boundary WatersGo a week without showering(see above!)Drive a vespaKiss on the beachVisit BostonKiss at New YearsTake photo booth picturesGo on a double dateHold a baby panda- Create a time capsule
Kiss in the rainGo to a MLB game- Go to a NBA game
Go to an NFL game- Go to the superbowl
- Go to a Bundesliga game
Watch my Alma Mater in the final fourWatch my Alma Mater in the Rose Bowl- Visit Angkor Wat
- Ride on a river boat
Sing karaoke with Ryan- See glowworm caves in New Zealand
- Send a message in a bottle
Go to Disney WorldGo to Disney Land- Post a letter on Juliet’s house walls
Put a lock on a lock bridge- Hold a koala
- Have coffee with someone famous
Write something in cement- Design my dream home
- Find a four leaf clover
- Learn how to surf
Study abroadGo on a camping trip with friends- Throw a drink in someone’s face
Lay in the middle of the roadRide in a limoEat a croissant in Paris- Swim in every ocean
- Be married for 10 years
- 20 years
- 30 years
- 40 years
- 50 years
- Stand with one foot on either side of the Equator
Go to YellowstoneSee Old FaithfulGo to YosemiteSee the Golden Gate BrigeDrive through a wild fireEat a crepe in ParisThrow a coin in the Trevi Fountain- Kiss under mistletoe
- See my siblings get married
Visit the Sistine Chapel(After Ryan and my parents saw the Pope give a sermon from the Vatican)See the Channel Tunnel- See the CN Tower
See the Empire State Building- See Itaipu Dam
- See the Panama Canal
See the Great Barrier Reef- See the Harbor at Rio de Janeiro
- See Mt. Everest
- See the Paricutin Volcano
- See Victoria Falls
- See Chichen Itza
- See Christ the Redeemer
- S
ee The Great Wall of China - See Petra
See the Roman Coliseum(Surprisingly impressive!)- See the Taj Mahal
Get a full-time job- Get scuba certified
- Drink Dom Perignon
- Meet royalty
- Be in a magazine
- Take the Harry Potter tour in London
- Drink out of a coconut
Go home when the sun is coming up- Interview for my dream job
Stay in a hostel- Buy a surprise plane ticket
Go on my honeymoon- Go to Wimbledon
Drink sangria in Spain- Ride on a yacht
- Float in the dead sea
- Experience zero gravity
- Stay in an over water bungalow
- Witness a solar eclipse
- Have a home library
- See the fairy pools in Scotland
Attend a music festivalThrow a dart at a map and go there- Visit the walk of fame
- See Stonehenge
- Go to the Kentucky Derby
Donate hair to Locks for Love- Stand in the sky deck in Chicago
Watch fireworks at Cinderella’s castle- Get a henna tattoo in India
- Visit Abby Road
Get Yoga Instructor Certified- Go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (My 21st birthday and still the best day ever!)
Finish a book in one sittingGo to a church service in Westminster AbbeyGo to a midnight premierRelease a paper lantern- Make my own bottle of wine
- Cook my way through a cook book
- See the leaning Tower of Pisa (Coming November 2019)
- Do a polar plunge
- Cruise down the Nile
- visit Stratford-Upon-Avon
- See a show at Moulin Rouge
Visit the Vatican- See SNL Live
- Go to a game at Lambeau
Get a 4.0 in a college semester- Take a photography class
- Take an art class
- Take a ceramics class
Read Harry Potter in a foreign langaugeSee the river in Chicago dyed green for St. Patty’s- Drive a racecar
- Ride in a fighter jet
- Watch a State of the Union address
Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro(Coming March 2020)- Put a piece of gum on the wall in Seattle
- Live on the East and West Coast
- Visit the hidden beaches at Marrieta Islands
- Spend a night in a tree house
- Play messy twister
- See Heaven’s Trail in Ireland
- Jump into a pool full of jello
- Go tree camping
Be a bridesmaid- Do paint balloon darting
Go to Monte CarloClimb a Volcano- Visit the Salem Witch House
- Be in a photo shoot
- Volunteer with the Red Cross
- See the Statues at Easter Islands
See Versailles- Jump off a waterfall
- Stay in a 5 star hotel
- Fly in a blimp
- See the Amazon mixing of the waters
Write a novel- Publish a novel
- Be part of a world record (world’s largest rice crispy bar – I had a bite 🙂 )
Hike a 14er- Learn how to play poker
- Hike Pike’s Peak
- See a meteor shower
- Go fly boarding
- Start a new tradition
- Be an aunt
- Learn to read tea leaves
- Meet a Harry Potter cast member
- Go to a Superbowl parade
- Go cage diving in Mosel Bay
Visit Newschwanstein CastleSki the AlpsRide in a jeepney- Buy an R.V.
Bike the Dutch tulip fieldsHarvest grapes in a vineyard
