Bucket List essay

Victoria Rahm

September 26, 2012

Ms. Carton

Bucket List

Eight Spectacular things on my Bucket List

                "Many of life's failures are people who had not realized how close they were to success when they gave up."-Thomas Edison. This quote tells me to never give up on anything that I want to achieve because I can achieve anything  and I believe in myself, so that's why I created a bucket list. I have 50 things on my bucket list that I would like to do before I “kick the bucket.” These ones are my top eight. I want to start my bucket list where I live so my first thing I would like to do is hike Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in Alaska. When in Alaska, I want to experience going on a zip line. Still in Alaska I want to see the beautiful view below of the Alaskan wilderness in a hot air balloon. After that I will travel out of Alaska and visit all of the states in the United States. While visiting all of the states in the U.S. I want to go to Universal Studios in California and watch a 4D movie. I am interested in experiencing weightlessness in Florida without going in space. Once I've visited all of the states in the U.S., seen a 4D movie, and experienced weightlessness, I want to go to Europe and visit the Eiffel tower, and explore my ancestry in Germany. These are places and adventures that I will experience all around the U. S. and in Europe.

                As Americans we often limit ourselves to the simplest things in life because we think that we will fail or because we are lazy. We should evolve and change because we want to make a difference in this world or we want to learn new things and have exciting adventures. One of my exciting adventures is to hike Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in Alaska because I love to go out and get some fresh air and even though it can be hard work, it's worth seeing the view.  Some possible challenges could be that the mountain is too steep to hike, I forgot water or snacks, there could be a landslide, or an earthquake. I don’t want to die when only doing one of the first things on my bucket list. I usually hike mountains in the summer so there’s no school and it’s warm. I would love experience the beautiful views of the land below, and then tell everyone about it. My plan is to bring food, water, friends and/or family to go keep  me some company. To prepare for this I will walk a lot and try to get in shape, get healthy snacks, water and wear hiking shoes so my feet can be comfortable. I will to take plenty of pictures to put in my scrapbook. People might look at the pictures and think I’m adventurous for hiking the highest peak in Alaska. They may decide they want to be adventurous and start hiking.

                  I want to go on a zip line because it I've seen other people zip line and decided that I wanted to be one of those people to experience it too. Some challenges could be that I don't have enough money, no one will go with me, no transportation, or something bad happens with the zip line. I don’t want to get hurt or die with only my second item on my bucket list. I want to do this during summer when it is warm because I don’t want to freeze to death. As a result, my friends or family might want to do it too. I might like it so much that I want experience the zip line again. My plan is to find out where the location is and get equipment if needed. To get ready for this I can follow a map or G.P.S. and bring a camera of coarse to take pictures. To complete this I will go to the right place(and not get lost!!!), make sure the owner knows that I'm coming, have fun. Friends might think I'm awesome, crazy, or exciting. My ultimate goal is to have fun, not fail, be adventurous and possibly inspire other people too.

 I’ve always wanted to go on a hot air balloon because I want to fly another way besides by airplane, feel the fresh air and see the beauty below. Possible challenges include not knowing where to find a person to give me a ride or getting lost as we drift through the air. I want to do this in the summer when the air fells energizing and warm. My plan is to find a person, place, time, and ways to achieve riding in the hot air balloon. To prepare I will call the person who owns the balloon and make sure everything’s ready to go, find out location, and how to prepare for my ride. If I tell people about it, I might motivate them to go on a hot air balloon too. My goal is to have fun, come back alive, and tell people how awesome riding in a hot air balloon will be.

                Going out of Alaska I want to visit all of the states in the U. S. because I want to experience what it's like to live in different parts of the country and experience other people’s society. My dad was talking about going on a trip to visit some other states, like maybe some of the southern states. I do NOT want the vehicle to have problems (running out of gas),  we forgot passports if we go through Canada, forget the G.P.S. , or we don't have directions. For me, it doesn't really matter when I visit states. I don't have to visit them all at once. I would probably do it when I don't have school, so in the summer probably. Or we could go to some warm places during Christmas Break. After visiting all of the states, I will have some knowledge about all of them. My plan is to pack the right clothes according to the weather and try to go when there is no snow. I am going to bring a camera(yes again, more pics for my scrapbook), make sure I have enough clothes, snacks are packed,(I don’t want to starve before I even get there), and have passports if needed. I will get lots of souvenirs, maybe even some for my family or friends.

                   While traveling in the U.S. I want to visit Universal Studios in California and watch a 4D movie.  A 4D movie is a movie where it feels like you are taking part in it by using all of your senses instead of just using your eyes and ears. I want to do this because I've only seen 2D movies and 3D movies. My dad told me about how awesome the 4D movie, “Shrek” was, so I decided that I want to see one too. I wouldn’t want it to be to expensive, too scary, the power goes out, or we can't find the location. I would want to go during the summer because it will be nice and warm outside. After it happens, I will tell everybody about how excellent it will be. My plan is to buy tickets and pack. To prepare, I will bring a camera, yep again and pack clothes. After I watch a 4D movie I will tell people about my experience and consider doing it in the future.                 

             Going east, I want to go to Florida and experience weightlessness without going in space. I want to do this because I've always wanted to see what it's like to float around everywhere. Florida is one of the only states that lets you experience zero gravity flights. I've seen it in movies, TV, pictures, and in my dreams ( Where I've floated in mid air) so I want to do it for real. Challenges could be that it's too expensive, no one wants to go with me, I get lost and don't know where to go. I want to do it when I'm older and have enough money. My plan is to buy a ticket if needed, find someone to go with me, find out location, and get equipment if I have to. I will try to take pictures. People might think I’m memorable, unforgettable, or unique.           

               Once I’m done exploring in the U.S., I want to go out of the country into Europe and visit Germany because I want to explore my ancestry. My mom went there when she was in High School. She showed me her scrapbook and I saw all of the cool pictures, and I decided that I want to visit Germany too. Possible challenges could be that I don't have enough money, nobody wants to go with me, and I could get lost. I want to go when I'm older so I know some German and I have enough money. My plan is to buy a plane ticket, pack, and get family or friends to go with so I can enjoy this with someone I know. I will learn some German, get the right clothes, and bring extra spending money for souvenirs.

 Going west, I want to visit the Eiffel tower in Paris, France because it seems like a beautiful place to visit. I've seen how elegant it is and decided that I want to go there. Possible challenges could be that I don't have enough money, nobody wants to go with me, and I could get lost. I want to do this when I don't have school or work(if I have a job). After I visit the Eiffel tower, I will tell everyone and they might want to go there too. My plan is to take friends and/or family with, stay for a few weeks, take plenty of pictures and have fun. To prepare, I will pack stuff that I need like clothes, snacks, and extra spending money for souvenirs. People might think I'm adventurous or exciting.

People become successful when they reach their goal. The measurement of success is when you either go to the top and complete your goal or you stay at the bottom and don’t complete your goal. I want to complete my goal, so I am going to do all of these exciting and adventurous activities before I “kick the bucket”.