Are You Making Progress on Your Bucket List?

I’ve kept a running bucket list–things I want to do during my life–for many years now. I’ve added things to the list, dropped things from the list, and achieved several of them.

That said, I rarely look at the list, despite it often being in my field of vision. So I thought I’d write about it today and try to figure out what I should do next, as I’d really like to check at least one of these off the list each year.

  • fly of my own volition: Specifically, I want to fly in a jetpack, though I would consider a drone taxi.
  • swim with dolphins: I’d like to commune with some of the smartest animals on the planet. I’ve heard that it’s an extremely gratifying experience.
  • visit Star Wars World: This bucket list item used to be the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. While I’d still like to go there, I’ve realized that I really want a full Westworld-level immersion into an alternate universe. From what I’ve seen so far, that’s what Star Wars World will do.
  • eat at a Top Chef restaurant: Technically I have achieved this during a trip to Austin a few years ago. However, it was essentially a food truck, which is fine, but I’d like to take it up a notch for slightly nicer fare.
  • go to Fallingwater: Done! I love Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, and this was my grail location. Fortunately I was able to visit here in my 20s.
  • be my own boss: Done! Though it’s interesting to see this on the list, because when I usually hear people say this, it seems like they’re saying, “I don’t want to take orders from anyone else.” Avoiding direction isn’t something I look down on; rather, I think I just wanted to start and run a business, which I’m currently doing.
  • write a novel: Done! This used to be “publish a novel,” but I’m happy just to have written one from start to finish, and perhaps someday it will be published. Also, I did write a book that was published–it just isn’t a novel. And I wrote a screenplay, which wasn’t on my list, but it was fun.
  • skinny dip: Done! Though this is too salacious of a story for the blog. 😉
  • sleep in a castle: Done! I stayed in a castle hotel during a trip to Ireland (Clontaf, specifically) years ago. Though I’d like to do it again, as my room just felt like a regular hotel room.
  • produce a board game: Done!
  • hang out with mini horses: I’ve removed much more serious endeavors from the list, but quite frankly, I like a little silliness in my life. I think mini horses are amazing, and I want to hang out with them. Li’l Sebastian, anyone?
  • eat Neapolitan pizza in Naples: This needs to happen.
  • tell people to “look under their seats” and have a surprise waiting for them: Basically, I want to pull an Oprah. It just sounds fun to do. I’m not sure what I want to put under the seats…it probably depends on the venue.

Of these, hanging out with mini horses is probably the easiest to accomplish. I just need to find some mini horses who want to hang out.

What’s on your bucket list, both in terms of what you’ve achieved and what you haven’t?

9 thoughts on “Are You Making Progress on Your Bucket List?”

  1. I don’t really have a bucket list. I find things I want to do and I figure out a way to go do them. Sort of a ‘live for today’ philosophy. Some of my goals match up with yours and #5 was one of them. It made getting out and doing things a real possibility. It has also prevented a fair number of things I wanted to do. Being your own boss seems freeing — until you do it. I feel like it often makes it very difficult to differentiate between work and everything else.

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  2. “tell people to “look under their seats” and have a surprise waiting for them”

    Just replace seats by insert and you can consider it done! 😉 Also, what is a “Top Shelf” restaurant? Did you perhaps mean Top Chef?

    A few things on mine:
    – Visiting all continents. I’m down to South America, Australia, and Antarctica. Hoping to complete this one day.
    – Seeing the Northern Lights.
    – Going on an Alaskan Cruise. My wife and I enjoy cruises but the Caribbeans are getting a little stale and I’ve always wanted to see Alaska.

    Reply
  3. @Charles
    BGG did an Alaskan Cruise this year and I think they’re doing it again next year. You could combine cruise and board game. 😉

    I don’t have a list per se, but last summer, I’ve visited 3 of our Maritime provinces, here in Canada. It got me closer to visit them all. One left (three if we count the territories).

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  4. Of my two buckets, the one with listed things done is almost full, while the one for still- want/hope-to-do is nearly empty. Five of my things done items coincide with yours, if I invoke poetic license (bucket-list license?) to count napping in a Frank Lloyd Wright building as sleeping in a castle and writing a non-fiction book as writing a novel (which it is actually much less than, IMO). The be my own boss one was a key factor in my momentous life decision to shift my work emphasis from science to psychology, and has now enabled me to combine both in board game design.

    I’ve found that physical factors have required me to modify my bucket list. High on my list was driving around the country, a sort of ‘lone crone-on-the-loose’ contaging susceptible natives everywhere with a love of science-themed board games. (My mouth waters at the prospect of tasting all those local cuisines!) I still fantasy about doing it, minus the lone part, when I finish designing my swansong board game (hopefully by my 90th birthday in March 2020); but that will require finding a compatible able-bodied companion with a love of the open road.

    One other bucket list item is now crossed out in pencil, so I’ll risk leaking it here. To go on Shark Tank and try to seed the changing of Kevin O’ Leary’s nickname from “Mr. Wonderful” to “Mr. Thunderful”—what a grand life finale that would be!

    Reply
    • I actually forgot to put “visiting Fallingwater” on my list, something I did years ago, so I’m glad you mentioned Frank Lloyd Wright! I also like your idea of trying to change O’Leary’s Shark Tank name. 🙂

      Reply
  5. These are my current Bucket List Ideas:-

    To climb kilamanjaro – done
    To do a safari – done
    To go to southern hemisphere – done
    To see a total eclipse of the Sun
    To see the pyramids
    To cross america
    To visit india
    To visit one of the artics
    To visit the great wall of china
    To visit new Zealand
    To see an aurora [this is likely the next to be achieved]
    Go around the world

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