100 Things

Recently, a man by the name of Sebastian Terry visited Regina in order to complete one of the things included on his "bucket list".  Most people are familiar with the concept of a bucket list after a movie by the same name came out a couple of years ago.  Basically, it is a list of all the things a person would like to do in their lifetime..in other words, before they die.  That sounds a bit depressing to me but I love the idea of dreaming big and creating a list of these aspirations.

Sebastian wanted to deliver a baby and a Regina woman volunteered to let him deliver hers.  Once he was in Regina, the community really embraced the concept and his engaging personality didn't seem to hurt.  He ended up completing a few of the tasks on his list during his stay in Regina including "doing a TV weather report", "visiting a haunted house", "raising money for Camp Quality", and eventually "delivering a baby".  Ironically, the women that had initially invited him to deliver her baby had some complications and he wasn't able to assist her after all.  In true Regina fashion, someone else volunteered to help him out.  In fact, I am pretty sure there were plenty of people willing to have him assist with their baby's delivery by that point.  His story had become well-known so it guaranteed some media coverage and even resulted in some free gifts for the new baby's family from the local baby store.  

I found it fascinating how the media really latched onto the story and literally followed his progress for the month or so that he was here.  It made me wonder what I would include on a bucket list of my own.  It was kind of refreshing to watch something positive and inspirational on the news for a change.  Before you think I have spent hours on this blog post, my bucket list has been a work in progress since I first heard of the story a couple months ago and searched out Sebastian's 100 Things blog.

When I first sat down to write my bucket list, I realized that I had accomplished quite a few things already.  I cheated a bit and peeked at other peoples' lists for some inspiration.  The 100 Things blog features the bucket lists of hundreds of people with diverse interests so it was interesting and helpful in my quest to write my own.  With that said, here's my bucket list.  I encourage everyone to write one.  It's really just another form of goal setting and the sky is the limit.  I am still working on my list as I think of new things that I'd like to accomplish.

My Bucket List

1. Go on a Cruise
2. See the Egyptian Pyramids 
3. Do a triathlon 
4. Grow a garden 
5. Complete my Master’s Degree 
6. Teach at a university
7. Visit the Galapagos Islands 
8. Take a Family Trip to Disneyland 
9. Universal Studios, Hollywood 
10. Be a member of a studio audience for a TV show 
11. Learn how to surf 
12. See baby being born 
13. Run in New York’s Central Park
14. See a Broadway Show 
15. Visit Louisiana 
16. Go to Hawaii 
17. European Vacation 
18. Attend Olympic Games 
19. Visit Great Wall of China 
20. Show family Taiwan 
21. Go to Vegas 
22. Visit the Maritimes 
23. Jet Ski 
24. Snorkel The Great Barrier Reef 
25. Stonehenge 
26. Visit Le Louvre 
27. Mentor someone at work 
28. Volunteer at the food bank 
29. Become financially literate 
30. Go on a Safari 
31. Dream home 
32. Canada Day in Ottawa 
33. Zip Lining 
34. Deep Sea Fishing 
35. Hot Air Balloon Ride 
36. Trip to Uruguay 
37. Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls 
38. Get a short haircut 
39. Skate the Rideau Canal 
40. See Mamma Mia! 
41. Learn how to sew 
42. Learn how to knit 
43. Have a garage sale 
44. Watch a tennis match at Wimbledom 
45. Go sailing 
46. Stay at the Fairmont Banff Hotel 
47. Sing a karaoke duet with Jeremy 
48. Drink a pina colada on a Caribbean Beach (yes, I already did this but I really want to do it again!) 
49. Can something (jam, pickles) 
50. Go to a pumpkin patch 
51. Decorate a cake (using actual cake decorating tools)
52. Run a half marathon in less than 1:45 
53. Go to Stingray City

If anyone has more ideas of things that would be fun to do, great places to visit or events that should be experienced, please add them in the comments!   

One of the things I can't include on my bucket list is "living overseas" since I already did that for 5 years; 1 year in Perth, Australia and 4 years in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.  I am going to write more about things I've already accomplished in my next blog post.  Until then, here are some photos of a handful of the classes I taught when I lived in Taiwan.  I wonder what these students are doing now.  That is the biggest disadvantage of teaching and living overseas for so long.  It's hard to keep in touch with people that were a big part of my life for all those years.  I often wonder how my former students are doing.  I was lucky enough to have some pretty awesome kids in my classes especially the ones in this first photo.  They were the last class I ever taught in Taiwan.  On my last day, they had a concert for me with a violin duet, a beautiful vocal, and a funky hip hop dance routine.  It was amazing and something that I will never forget.