Today I was talking to a close friend about how I’ve been writing this blog for the past few weeks. She suggested I write about bucket lists. I responded that I didn’t have one.
“Well you’ll need to write one”
First: a note on bucket lists
As far as I can remember I’ve never had a bucket list. Literally just never seen the appeal. Write down a bunch of things you want to do? I already know what I want to do: that’s what I spend my free time doing.
Regardless, having a one paragraph stance on bucket lists isn’t going to get this blog post written, so here are the first things that spring to mind.
See an orca
Lived in Shetland for the first 18 years of my life: don’t think I’ve ever seen an orca. Saw some dolphins when I was waiting for the bus one morning, but that’s hardly a substitute.
This should be fairly achievable, especially if I’m up in Shetland. People go crazy for it so there are notification bots for it.
Honestly a large part of the appeal is just being able to say I’ve done it.
Run a marathon
Love running, except when I hate it. Right now I’d love to love running, but the weather is far too grumpy for that. Regardless, running is one of the things that makes me feel alive and a marathon provides a structure where you do a lot of running to prepare, followed by doing something people generally consider to be impressive.
A lot of people tell you to plan to do a specific race, which gives you the time pressure and determination in order to succeed. I think I’d like to go against that: I like the idea of waking up on a nice morning, getting ready, and then going out and doing the marathon. Making a huge spectacle out of things isn’t really my thing.
Maybe that’s why I’m not into bucket lists.
Write a book
I don’t know what sort of book I’d write. Technical non-fiction, or a novel? Published or free online? I guess I’ll know the answers when it’s time to start writing.
Notably, write a book of logic puzzles
I’m thinking of Raymond Smullyan vibes: well-defined problems which force people to think outside the box. The idea of the book tying into a piece of existing theory is also interesting.
Do a handstand on a paddleboard
This is a personal thing. I see lots of photos of people doing headstands on a paddleboard. Pretty understandable: three points of contact gives so much more stability. Not for me, I want to do a full handstand.
Perhaps I should prepare for this by getting better at paddleboarding, or getting better at handstands. Seems like a smart idea.
These all feel pretty vapid, and there aren’t that many of them. Maybe I don’t dream enough?
Or maybe not. Maybe my dreams lie elsewhere. Maybe what I want to happen over time is incremental improvement, rather than drastic escape. I want things to be better on average, over time. I want to build on the things I enjoy doing, have them expand over time.
Maybe this still makes me boring. Whatever. I don’t mind being perceived as boring, if this is their idea of boring.