The BL – Bucket List – that seemingly unfeasible list of life dreams and goals that range from rolling in every square inch of the earth to owning every breed of cat in a mansion on a lake.
Mine looks something like that – traveling and cats. Kidding… sorta. I have a Bucket List. But it’s a secret Bucket List. It’s a draft on this blog. I’ve always hesitated to publish – what if I never accomplish it? Am I a failure? What if life laughs in my face and retorts that my goals are too grand and too unattainable? What if I never have the time or money to do it all?
But I’m also a hypocrite. I don’t believe in the “keep your wish to yourself or it won’t come true” superstition. I believe that if you have a dream or goal or hope, it should be shouted loud and proud for all to hear. I believe when something is said with conviction and confidence, it’s more likely to be actualized. Holding oneself publically accountable will achieve more than simply allowing a dream to swim around in your brain matter. Because then it just stays that: a dream.
Perhaps it’s time I rethink the “keep it to myself” philosophy and share my overzealous Bucket List with the world. Or maybe I’ll rip off the bandaid slowly and highlight a few things for now…
If you follow my blog’s Facebook page, you’ll know that I’m obsessed with entering (and sharing!) travel contests. I see these contests as a means to potentially achieving my (or your!) Bucket List goals, which is why my inner contest huntress went all Nala all pounced with black eyes and drawn claws all over this one: The Most #EpicBucketList Contest from Contiki & The Buried Life.
You guys, this is the best contest I’ve seen in a while. I can’t hog it all to myself. I’ve been doing happy dances every time I dream of this coming true. Which is why I’m sharing – because if I announce these Bucket List dreams with enthusiasm, perhaps they’ll be more likely to happen.
So here are the top 5 Epic List activities I selected for the contest. I chose items that seem unattainable, will challenge my comfort zone, and will teach me something new about our marvelous world.
{PS – you can see the other Epic BucketList contest items on the website and enter your own}
Take a selfie while hang-gliding over Rio
I’ll open my arms as wide as Christ the Redeemer as I overcome my aversion to heights while gliding over the bikini-clad locals drinking caipirinhas on Copacabana. I’ll take a stab at Portuguese and stab some delicious Brazilian meats.
Sail the Greek Islands on a private yacht
Private yachts aren’t typically my style (I’m more of a peddle-boat chick – simple & inexpensive) but I would make the exception for Greece. My favorite word in the universe is Greek. But I’ll never reveal that word until I finally visit Greece and live out the meaning of that word while taking my own Odyssey to Mykonos, brushing up on mythology, and enjoying endless feta, moussaka, & ouzo.
Watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat
Ever since my service trip to teach English in China, I’ve yearned to explore other Asian countries. In Cambodia, I’d learn about another corner of the far east, eat spiders (maybe), ride in tuk tuks, stroll the bazaar and indulge in a culture very different from my own.
Swim with sharks in the Galapagos
This sounds terrifyingly exhilarating. It seems backwards to want my own personal Shark Week in the land that inspired Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’ philosophy. I’m probably not as fit as that shark and probably won’t survive.
See the Pyramids on camelback in Egypt
Everything about Egypt says “mystique” to me – ancient ruins, lost treasures, towering pyramids, puzzling hieroglyphics. Not only do I find ancient Egyptology intriguing, I am also curious to learn more about modern Egypt.
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If this Epic Bucket List were to become a reality, I’d get to choose a travel companion. I’d ask one of my best friends, Lara, an ethnographic filmmaker whose spirit for culture & travel is as wild as mine, to join me on the adventure. With our synergistic friendship, we’d be documenting & sharing the entire quest to encourage other Millennials to fulfill their own Bucket Lists.
We’d also have the opportunity to add our own items to the list. I’d probably like to add something that would benefit others: volunteering at an wildlife rehabilitation center, offering English lessons, delivering water & resources to people who need it most… OR maybe streaking in Antarctica. What would you put? What’s on your Epic Bucket List?
So maybe I’ll win? Or maybe not. Either way, sharing these Epic Bucket List goals has made me feel like the world is much closer to my fingertips than before I pressed “Publish.”
If you want a shot at making your Epic Bucket List a reality, ENTER HERE.
Good luck!
