Eight years back, I realized the perfect synonym for life. It is uncertainty. I did not really know what I will be presented with the next day (or what will be thrown at me). Consequently, I compiled my bucket list (with a wee bit of inspiration from a friend). It transcended across time.
A few were totally unrealistic, or I might never have the guts to undertake them. Recently, I returned to the list to assess my performance, and to update it too. Here I go with my bucket list:
- Achieve my ideal weight – I dropped 15 KGS in six months, but I was still not close to my ideal weight. Damn those heavy bones! & now, the struggle is even harder.
- Adopt a pet from an animal shelter – This may happen soon.
- Attend a costume party – Not costume but I have attended enough themed events. Does that count?
- Attend an opera & cry for the heck of it – I saw Les Miserable in London & loved it. But I did not cry.
- Audition for a role in a movie – Given how introverted I have become, this seems unlikely.
- Be a host on TLC/ Discovery etc. – I am not giving up hope yet.
- Witness a Brazilian Carnival
- Become a freelance writer – I am a blogger now. But I guess I can tick this off only when I earn from my blog.
- Become a millionaire – DONE! And back to broke!! :D
- Break into a jig at a public place, preferably a bus or airport – I danced atop a table. The others will happen too.
- Buy jewelry at Tiffany & Co
- Climb an active volcano
- Create a home with an inviting, joyous, comfortable, loving atmosphere – DONE!
- Create a self-study program for life-long learning
- Cry while watching a movie (& then laugh my lungs out at my stupidity) – DONE!
- Do all kinds of adventure sports at least once – I doubt this will happen.
- Do stand-up comedy – This will certainly not happen. I will pass on this wish to my husband.
- Do theater – Do school plays count?
- Donate blood & pledge organs for donation – I have tried to donate blood multiple times, but I am anemic. Donate organ pledge – DONE!
- Eat a Cheese Fondue & NYC Hot Dog – Cheese Fondue DONE! Hot Dog will happen in 2020.
- Experience an out of body experience
- Face my greatest fears
- Find inner peace – Done in bits & pieces!
- Find my true calling – DONE!
- Flirt outrageously with a stranger across the bar – DONE!
- Float in the Dead Sea
- Fly First Class
- Get a complete makeover
- Get a hot stone massage
- Get a reflexology massage
- Get a tarot card reading
- Get at least 3 tattoos
- Get hypnotized
- Go on a cruise
- Go on a horse and buggy ride – DONE! (Lucknow)
- Go on a motorbike trip
- Go on a shopping spree – I used to do this often in Mumbai. Now I am an aspiring minimalist; so, this will not happen anymore. I will mark this as DONE!
- Go to Times Square on New Year’s Eve and count down as the ball drops
- Have a girl’s night in all by myself staying up late and watching girlie movies
- Have a horror movie marathon all weekend
- Have a séance
- Have a skylight in the bedroom
- Have a specialist read my aura
- Have my paintings exhibited in a gallery – I cannot draw to save my life. If an artist can give me her/ his drawings, I will happily color them. Then this can happen! :D
- Have my portrait painted/ caricature made
- Heal my past – Partially done!
- Host a theme dinner/ party
- Invest in gold and silver – DONE!
- Invest in real estate – DONE!
- Learn all kinds of sports & try my hand at them at least once – I have tried my hand at several sports (cricket, football, hockey, badminton, table tennis, carom, chess etc.). I would not say ‘all’. But I realize I am not keen on sports; so, this is difficult.
- Learn a form of dance, preferably salsa
- Learn at least one foreign language, preferably Spanish
- Learn cooking & impress folks with exotic dishes – I never ‘learnt’ to cook but I can cook now to save my life. And I do not care about impressing anyone anymore. So, DONE!
- Learn glassblowing
- Learn not to take what others do or say personally – Trying to Do!
- Learn to fish – I tried my hand at angling in Bali & failed miserably. But, DONE! :D
- Learn to forgive – DONE! I wished I had learnt it sooner; it would have brought my peace earlier.
- Learn to live in the now – Trying to Do!
- Learn to make mojito at home – I do not need to do this anymore as my husband makes a mean mojito.
- Learn to make pottery
- Learn to play an instrument
- Learn to ride a bicycle/ bike efficiently and safely & drive a car on the mad streets of India – Not happening!
- Live in a foreign country for at least six months
- Make stained glass windows – I have done a stained-glass painting. Does it count?
- Own a colonial house
- Paint (oil & acrylics) – As I said before, I cannot draw but I like to paint. I dabble in watercolors at home, painting earthen pots leftover from Diwali. I should try oil & acrylics.
- Quit a job I hate – DONE! DONE! DONE!
- Collect & read all of Agatha Christie’s mystery novels – I have read most of the Agatha Christie novels. I own a few too. But I guess I need to get one of those box collections.
- Read every novel that has won a Pulitzer Prize in the Fiction Category
- Release negative emotions and limiting beliefs – I have an Impostor Syndrome. This is difficult for me.
- Ride a gondola in Venice – DONE!
- Ride an elephant & get showered by one – I may not do the first part as, over the years, I have become aware about animal cruelty, and avoid activities related to animals.
- Ride in a hot air balloon & watch the sunset
- Ride the Largest Roller Coaster in the World
- Run a marathon
- Say one or more of these at least once:
- Quick, follow that car.
- A martini. Shaken, not stirred. – I have already said variations of this. :D
- See a psychic
- See snow – DONE! (Ladakh)
- See the Aurora Borealis & polar regions
- See the Parthenon in Greece, The Statues of Easter Island, Chile, The Kremlin in Russia, The Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, Stonehenge, United Kingdom, Machu Picchu, Peru, the catacombs in Paris – UK Done!
- Shave my head
- Shop at Harrods, London – Not happening!
- Sing in public – DONE! And I hated doing so.
- Sleep under the stars – DONE! (Sariska)
- Start a travel blog – DONE! DONE! DONE!
- Stay awake all night long, sipping mojito, & writing & painting everything that comes to my mind
- Take a haunted tour/ Sleep in a haunted house – Haunted tour DONE! (Edinburgh)
- Take acting classes
- Take Up Photography – DONE! I believe I click better than my husband does. :D
- Take up yoga
- Teach kids over weekends
- Throw someone a surprise party – DONE! (My father’s 60th birthday)
- Tour a chocolate factory
- Travel solo – DONE! DONE! DONE!
- Visit all seven continents – WIP. Five one; Two more to go.
- Try making jam/ jelly/ pickle/ chutney the grandma way
- Visit Pompeii, Italy
- Volunteer time at an old-age home
- Watch the fireworks over Sydney Harbor on New Year’s Eve
- Wear a bikini – Not happening!
- Wear a corset
- Write and publish a book (a novel or a collection of short stories to be precise)
- Write my will
2 responses to “My Bucket List”
What a fabulous list. You’ve ticked a fair amount off already which is always a good feeling x
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Thank you so much! When i was assessing my performance on the bucket list, i realised I’d checked off most items subconsciously…
& Yes, it felt great. 🗨️
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