A friend of mine recently asked me what was on my bucket list.
The truth is, I had never really thought about it. Of course I had a few ideas mulling around my head about places I wanted to go and things I wanted to see, but I had never taken the time to actually put some of these ideas on paper.
Traveling is one of the perfect times to discover new aspects of yourself. So as I was lazing around at the Lawn in Canggu, doing nothing other than work on my tan, I decided to take the time to write out my bucket list.
Here it is.
1. See the world on a bicycle.
- Cycling is a relatively new hobby of mine. To be honest, I only just bought myself a beautiful new road bike shortly before traveling. Yes, I know that that money could have gone towards an extra few months in Asia, or a few dozen skeins of merino silk luxury yarn, but at that moment, I wanted a bike. So I ignored that little voice in my head telling me that it made no sense whatsoever to buy something just before leaving to go travel, and I bought it. And I got to have a a few incredible months with that bike before we parted ways.
- The next step will be to purchase an actual touring bike and start with some epic multiday trips in the Rockies, before I work my way up to a full round the world tour through some dream destinations such as Iceland, Norway and the 101 Highway from Oregon to California. I actually met a Finnish guy at a hostel here in Bali who was on his own cycling tour around the world. You can follow him on Instagram @gonebikefishing to hear about his adventures.
2. Become an acrobat (sort of).
- I’ve dreamt about being in Cirque de Soleil since I was a little kid. Maybe joining Cirque de Soleil is a bit far fetched, and I’m not sure if I would want to have that as a full time career. But I think it’s a tangible dream to acquire some acrobatic/circus skills such as learning aerial silks, juggling, unicycling and slacklining. I’m working on it.
3. Run a trail marathon.
- I like running, but only ever run seriously when I sign up for some type of running event. Two years ago I ran the Moose Mountain 16k in the Bragg Creek area of the Rockies, and fell in love with running surrounded by beautiful scenery on soft ground, as opposed to hard pavement. Running a marathon would push me so much further, both physically and mentally. Now all I have to do is find the right race and start training for it.
4. Speak five languages fluently.
- I love learning languages. I started learning French in school at age six, and picked up Portuguese while on an 11 month long Rotary exchange in Brazil. Now, here in Bali, I have been trying to learn Indonesian (rather unsuccessfully, if you must know).
- If I had to choose two additional languages to learn to speak fluently, it would probably be Mandarin (no explanation necessary), and Russian. Why Russian, you might ask? I’ve been in love with Russian history and literature since I first read Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot” and learning the language would unlock so many secret’s into Russia’s unique culture.
5. Write a novel before I turn 30.
- I like to save the best for last, and this item on the list might well just be the most ambitious, in part because I only gave myself another 3 and a half years to complete it! Writing has always been something I’ve had in the back of my mind since I first learned to read. Just so you know, I’m not working on a particular novel at the moment, nor do I have any good ideas for a novel in my head. But hopefully this trip will give me the chance to get the ball rolling …
This bucket list is just the tip of the ice berg. I hope that as I am able to tick things off, new challenges will appear and be added.
Also, although it wasn’t “officially” on my bucket list, I am in the process of ticking off a bucket list item right now. The very aspect of travelling the world with a backpack was something I had been dreaming about for a very long time, and I feel so grateful that I have been given the chance to do this. It really is a dream come true.
What’s on your bucket list? Have you ever thought about it or wrote it down? Also, what about those items that you may have already ticked off? What are you most proud of? I would love to hear about it!
