I've only just really come to this realization, if I'm being honest. I'd place myself in the category of young people who consider themselves immortal for all intents and purposes, and I've never really thought much about the possibility of simply not being alive anymore. I mean, yeah, because of my religious beliefs I'm decently confident in a life after death, but that's besides the point. I'm talking about the now.
Two incidents have caused me to think about the relative shortness of a human life. One has been gradually creeping upon me, and that is my impending senior year of high school. Oh, you say, you're that young? You're already thinking about death and life and all the gray area in between? The answer is yes, I'm that young, seventeen to be exact, and yes, I'm already thinking about all that kind of stuff. I'm sure many teens like me have as well. After high school is college, and after college is "real life", and after "real life" is a most certainly real death. It's all so linear, and it's all happening so quickly. I've come to realize that yes, I am young, and that's exactly why I need to live now.
The second incident is a little more somber. I only recently attended my first wake. It wasn't even a funeral--I've never been to one of those, either. In this regard, I consider myself lucky. To have not lost someone so close to me for so long is a rare blessing. But still, this wake, which I attended for a total of twenty-seven minutes, sort of slapped me in the face. I stared at the eerily peaceful body of a family friend I'd known forever, who had died far before his time, and it just sort of hit me. He probably had stuff he wanted to do. Maybe he had wanted to travel, or do something reckless, or do something over-the-top for his wife that would make her laugh it was so cheesy and romantic. He wouldn't get the chance, ever. I'm young, though. And while I don't know when I'll die, I do know that I can live life passionately and enthusiastically now.
And so, without further ado, I give you Lacey's Bucket List (So Far):
- Swim with dolphins
- Watch a full sunrise
- Travel to my top 5 countries (which, as of right now, are--in no specific order--Italy, France, New Zealand, Ireland, and England)
- Go to a drive-in movie
- Learn to drive a stick shift
- Stand on the Equator
- Get a small, meaningful tattoo
- Kiss someone on top of a Ferris wheel
- Be an extra in a TV show or a movie
- Pay for a stranger's groceries, coffee, or dinner
- Shower under a waterfall
- Ride in a hot air balloon
- Publish a novel
- Learn another language fluently
- Wear colored contacts
- Meet a celebrity (preferably Taylor Swift, Matthew Gray Gubler, J.K. Rowling, or Ian Somerhalder, but I won't be too picky)
This is just what I have come up with so far. If I ever achieve any of these, I'll write a little experience post. If I add more, I'll let you know. Until next time!
~ Lacey :)
