BIRTHDAY MUSINGS & MY BUCKET LIST

      I have a rather vague memory from last year around this time of me typing excessively away on my keyboard a fortnight to my birthday, in a corner of my room about how grateful I was that things were starting to fall into place. This year I am as grateful even more so because it has been a long journey of growth, hard work, and determination with just a dash of surprises. But change can be a tad gruesome and the selfish me has grumbled and complained that this year has been tough. Just to avoid making this post seem like last year's rambling I will try to be more direct and actually pass some information. Before now, I was going to do a collab post with Sue (my mother’s other daughter) or Adejummy (my favorite fashion blogger) about some serene beauty routine I picked up from these long months of staying home. Realistically, I figured I would bore everyone and anyone reading in two minutes tops because I am the worst at being overly girly. For one I don’t even remember the names of the skin products I use and I would rather stick to going bare face than wearing any item of makeup. Ergo, I decided to talk about my bucket list, and what better time to yap about this than now.

In a few weeks I turn a year older, and hand to God I wouldn’t want my kid to live the kind of life I have lead in the 20 something years since I came to earth. I love my life but I hate that it has always been too sheltered. It became suffocating the older I got and I knew beyond all doubt that I needed to switch things up. My bucket list is rather boring because go figure I am as quintessential as they come. Putting it together was a no brainer as I waited for years and years to get to the wilding stage and since it never came and I realized I would rather be the sensible person than the daring one in any group. Hence, you will find out that my list is as practical. 

     If you have never heard of the term “bucket list”, it is a list of all the goals you want to achieve, dreams you want to fulfill, and life experiences you wish to experience before you die. So here goes nothing;

• GET TO MY IDEAL WEIGHT - I have struggled with procrescophobia for far too long and this year has somewhat been good since I decided to be more intentional with my weight. I am not there yet, maybe close but I am proud of all the effort I put in to maintain my weight this year. This will always be the first thing on every goal tab I set but I am sure I will get there someday naturally or otherwise.

• GET A Ph.D. BEFORE 35 - I will never understand how I can hate school and love it all at once. My life is full of academias who I strongly admire and I figure that’s why my love-hate relationship with school will never deter me from getting a Ph.D. It’s something special when my dad whispers things like “you can do anything you want to do and it won’t matter because your life will just get more amazing from the experience” So here’s to 35 and getting the Doc. with the name.

• TRAVEL THROUGH EUROPE - As cliche as this might sound or look, I have always loved the sound of backpacking through Europe. This might come sooner than I plan but it doesn’t matter because I was born ready to do this part. Something about visiting most out of the 44 European countries holds a strange appeal I can never be rid of. Who doesn’t just love touring? I would literally go from The Vatican to Venice maybe stopover at Provence then from Rakotzbrücke head to the ever exotic Santorini ….. (this is what my dreams are definitely made of).

• CHANGE SOMEONE’S LIFE FOR THE BETTER - Scratch that, I want to change lives. I want to be the reason people give life another chance and come back from their setbacks stronger. I want to preach love and act love and be love. I want to die happy knowing I left my footprints in the sands of time where no amount of water or wind can take that away. It doesn’t matter if I have to sacrifice so much I just want to do it right.

• LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE OR FIVE - Learning a new language isn’t as easy as is often portrayed. I tried and save for a few words and phrases in German, I can say I know nothing of the language. I love polyglots and I admire their brain's capacity to handle languages to an almost efficient level. I will therefore make it my life’s work to learn a new language or more to at least a B1 level so help me God.

• LEARN A BOARD GAME TO PRO LEVEL - I can not for the life of me play any board game. The way Kenny my dear friend plays chess is something I have secretly admired for a while now. Therefore I am putting it out here; I will learn to play a strategy game to a pro-level. Who knows I might even learn it good enough to play in a contest. 

• START A BUSINESS - I realized quite early in life, that I just might suck at the art of merchandising and transactions. The idea of buying and selling hasn’t always been appealing. Recently I took up my long time dream hobby of making clothes and I have decided to own a mini fashion line. Since I don’t necessarily care for business I will hire the best hands to carry my baby to fruition. I will oversee the part that I can and dole out the remaining responsibilities to a good team. Win-Win innit!

• ACT IN A FILM - It doesn’t even matter if its a cameo role, I just want to be in a film. A good one. It could be a self-production for a really short movie or documentary or anything. I have been told to explore this part of me more and it would be unfair to the universe if I didn’t show myself to a screen.

• CREATE A DREAM HOME - I want my house to look like something out of an interior decor magazine. This might be the part where I have to ask my significant other to work with me because two cannot work together on this kind of project except they agree. Who doesn’t just love good and modern Renos? I don’t even mind the hard work I will pat myself well done after I get the house looking like the dream picture I have had in my head for far too long.

• BUILD A BANGING BOOKCASE - I am in love with books and until my dying day I will always cherish a gift of a good book, with a strong spine, and the scent of its leaves emanating wisdom. The ever-loving Mother Nature providing good trees to make such beauty called books is a blessing we should never take for granted. In my bid to collect the best books I will create the most beautiful shelf to house these treasures.

      Like I warned earlier, my list might seem rather lame because some of us aren’t as sporty to add; run a marathon, take part in a triathlon, or go skiing. I wouldn’t even be caught dead doing an extreme sport like jumping off cliffs with just a piece of rope (the thought of this 😱) but to each their own huh?
      Having a bucket list reminds you of what’s really important to you so that you can act on them. Remember, if you don’t live your days by goals and plans, chances are that you spend most of your time caught in a flurry of day-day activities. Iain Thomas' quote of “And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, “This is important! And this is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this! And this! And this!” And each day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, “No. This is what’s important.” is just the note to self that will change your perspective on choosing yourself.
Finally, these lines of dedication from a book I stumbled on not too long ago; 
“ To my grandmother Delores, who at age 97 still had big dreams and audacious goals “….
   I do not know Delores but my greatest wish is that age will never be a limitation and will not stop my big dreams.

Your Friend and Wannabe tourist

Helen Dami 💕