In need of some inspiration for this week’s contribution to the blog, I started off the morning with a cup of coffee and my computer. There are some amazing blogs out there from women of all walks of life about a variety of topics near and dear to their hearts. I read blogs about Catherine Middleton, recipes, clothing, teaching/education, hunting, fishing, gardening and of course blogging and owning your own business. I came across The Uncaged Life a few months ago. In her own blogpost, The Reverse Bucket List, Becca Tracey reminds us that although it is important to think about the future (where and how we get there) it is very important to reflect on what we have already achieved and how those experiences (both positive and negative) have shaped who we are today. In fact it is vital to never discount our past and to be grateful for it. At the end, Ms. Tracey challenged her readers to “create [their] own list of 50 accomplishments; [reminding us] that nothing is insignificant,” (2017). The author says that this is a great way to, “[c]elebrate your past, and get ready to rock your world when you see just how awesome you already ARE,” (2017). I figured that I would share mine with you all. Please note that these milestones are in no particular order or occurrence or importance.
1. Have the opportunity to shape the lives of young people each and everyday
2. Learned to fly
3. Had a poem published
4. Read the complete works of Jane Austen and Agatha Christie
5. Sturgeon fishing in the Fraser River
6. Worked in a Sickbay with members of the Canadian Armed Forces
7. Won scholarship money
8. Was a Master of Ceremonies for a large event
9. Experienced great food and art in France and Italy
10. Found solutions to body image issues
11. Lived on a floor with 30+ people from all walks of life in university
12. Learned to speak a second language
13. Cared for sick family members
14. Took a gamble
15. Paid off my line of credit in 8 months
16. Took a cruise with my mother
17. Learned how to hunt (and butcher my own food)
18. Took time to travel around United Kingdom to connect with my roots
19. Traded my city lifestyle in for life in the country
20. Had a piece of artwork in a gallery
21. Got my driver’s license after great trepidation and procrastination
22. Read an old journal I kept
23. Writing for a blog
24. Played clarinet in a marching band
25. Completed my Masters degree in education
26. Experienced total and utter grief
27. Survived a hostile work environment
28. Became an aunt
29. Camping trips with my dad when I was young
30. Own my own home
31. Visited the Vatican
32. Fly-in fishing trips in Northern Alberta
33. Reconnected with estranged family members
34. Rode a motorcycle
35. Put myself out there and tried online dating
36. Joined sea cadets
37. Learned how to say ‘NO’ without guilt
38. Maintenance of important friendships
39. Survived being bullied throughout elementary school
40. Got married
41. Became a blood donor
42. Enjoy good health
43. Moved to a different province
44. Deemed most changed in high school
45. Become honest with myself
46. Marvelled at glaciers in Alaska
47. Salmon fishing in the Pacific Ocean
48. Got through university without any debt/student loans
49. Tried acupuncture
50. Have my own business