Having just started my bucket list on Wednesday (9/16/09) I feel that I’m off to a cracking start having already launched headfirst into completing item number 1.
First let me explain the sudden interest in having a bucket list. On Tuesday my good friend Karina called me to ask if I would have a drink with her and a guy who she had been put in touch with via some mutual friends. “He’s Australian!” she said, and they happened to be meeting at a bar opposite my apartment building. The convenience of the location, coupled with my knowledge that a night out with Karina is guaranteed to be fun no matter what, and the fact that I’m officially incapable of saying no to a drink offer, meant there was no question of whether or not I would attend.
So that night Karina and I made the trek across the road fashionably (but not intentionally) late to meet Sebastian and his pommy mate Dan – or Rugsy as we would soon affectionately refer to him (don’t ask why, I have no idea!) As I fought the urge to turn around and leave when I spotted them sitting at the bar drinking sugar frosted pink margaritas - the most girly drink available, Karina, being the uber friendly and laid back girl she is went straight up and introduced herself. It appeared that I was stuck with these she-men.
We decided to play pool, Aussies versus non-Aussies and I soon found myself hanging off every word of my fascinating team-mate’s story. He was traveling the world in the pursuit of achieving his bucket list - 100 things he wants to do before he dies. Not only was this guy literally living the dream, he was raising money for a worthy charity in the process. I couldn’t decide if I should be bowing down in awe or just downright jealous.
As the night wore on and we all got to know each other better (with the help of some jagermeister and a good old game of Jenga) I had come to the conclusion that I couldn’t be jealous of this guy. Seb has this amazing positive energy and attitude. He’s the kind of person that you just know things are going to work out for, and he deserves every bit of it. So therein lay my inspiration to start my own bucket list. Not quite as outrageous and life consuming as Seb’s, but important and fulfilling all the same, and something once I had put to paper I felt quite committed to. I’m aware that a bucket list is traditionally something people write shortly before their death, but I don’t want to wait until I’m old before I start living life the way I want to. We are all so fragile and you never know when it could be ripped away from you.
My quest had officially begun. I started writing my bucket list the next day and straight off the bat had a list of 29. I figured I could add to it as I go along and I’m also open to suggestions from others – so if you have any please send them my way! Number 1 on my list was ‘Learn guitar’. I’d been talking about doing this for a while so I figured it was a good place to start. Being the daughter and sister of some very talented guitarists I felt the odds were stacked in my favor, I mean how could they not be? Being a guitarist is in my blood. Although going by that theory I should also be a champion swimmer and tennis player and anyone who has seen me try either of these activities will attest that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Thanks to the generosity of my patient teachers I managed to learn 2 songs over the next couple of days. I don’t actually sound good by any stretch of the imagination but they are identifiable and that’s all I want for now. With a bit of practice I might even be able to play them without a pause between each chord change and without leaning over staring at my fingers with a strained and confused look on my face – that is so not rock star-ish. My goal is to have my 2 songs going smoothly by the end of the month, and to have a 3rd one in the works. Stay tuned for an update…
