Monday, November 28, 2011

My Bucket List

My Mom would always say that I had a list for everything. I'm a list maker. I love making lists. So, several years ago, I sat down and carefully wrote out my bucket list.  I wanted my goals to be 1). attainable and, mostly, realistic,  2). safe'ish, 3). taking into consideration both the small and big picture, and 4). FUN!!  It's exciting to have something to look forward to and so gratifying to fulfill a desire.
  

Bucket lists are as unique as the person writing them out. I'm sure many of the aspirations I've inventoried would be laughable to some, perhaps insignificant. But that's the beauty in a bucket list - IT'S ALL YOURS. You can add to it at anytime and you manage how quickly or slowly you cross off those items. You can conquer it alone, or with someone you love...or like.  I truly believe that if you set your mind to it, you can achieve just about anything. So why not dream big?


JOY'S BUCKET LIST

     1.    Swim with dolphins
     2.    Get into a cage and swim with sharks (note: sharks are outside the cage)
     3.    Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef
     4.    Ride an elephant in India
     5.    Visit the Taj Mahal
     6.    Visit the pyramids
     7.    Swim in all the oceans of the world
     8.    Photograph every ocean in the world
     9.    Skydive
   10.    Visit Mount Everest
   11.    Skinny dip



   12.    Spend the night in a haunted house alone
   13.    Sing in front of a large audience
   14.    Visit all 50 states
   15.    See the Northern Lights
   16.    Visit Sweden
   17.    Visit Savannah



   18.    Visit the Weribee Mansion in Australia
   19.    Sing "The Sound of Music" in the Alps
   20.    Learn Latin
   21.    Go horseback riding on the beach
   22.    Visit Greece
   23.    Visit every country in Europe and document it photojournalistcally
   24.    Be "in the pit" as a photographer for a concert  (Marc Broussard)


   
   25.    Sell one of my songs
   26.    Record an EP
   27.    See the Coliseum in Rome
   28.    Visit the birthplace of Jesus
   29.    Visit Golgotha - see the tomb of Jesus
   30.    Have my photographs published
   31.    Be hired by a magazine to travel and do photography
   32.    Meet Kiefer Sutherland
   33.    See a play on Broadway
   34.    See an opera in Italy
   35.    Sing on stage with Jeff
   36.    Visit all 7 continents
   37.    Make a terminally ill child's dream come true
   38.    Photo journal the day in the life of someone in a third world country
   39.    Teach the children's sermon at church
   40.    Have a baby and be a Mommy
   41.    Visit the birthplace of Motown
   42.    Take a photography class with Audrey Woulard
   43.    Spend the day taking pictures with Bryan Adams
   44.    Volunteer with Hospice
   45.    See Otis Williams (the last living original Temptation) perform



   
 
   46.    Fly on a trapeze
   47.    Meet Dr. Dre
   48.    Learn to play guitar proficiently
   49.    Perform one of my own songs live
   50.    Find that engaged couple I photographed last year (See story here)
   51.    Live/work in NYC
   52.    Meet Annie Liebovitz
   53.    Spend a summer in Montana


I wonder how many people reading this have accomplished some of the things on my list?  I wonder how many I've accomplished on yours?  Sure, some of the items are kind of trivial and some are really moving. Some seem pretty far fetched, but I think they're all doable. I may have to get pretty creative with a few of these. I mean, I never expected in a MILLION YEARS to see the last living Temptation perform - mostly because I thought they were all dead - but when I read that Otis Williams was in fact alive and well (and, thankfully, still touring) I knew I had a shot. A shot indeed. I even shook his hand. That's, like, extra credit bucket list points!!

The list will continue to grow for as long as I have goals to accomplish. And, as long as there's breath in me, and the good Lord allows, I plan to journey on.

So, what's on YOUR bucket list?