by Gwen Pearson

This is the last column of my last year of school and I spent so much time sitting on my thumbs, trying to figure out what I should write. There were numerous things that I thought of, mostly about ending how I started with writing about books. Originally I was going to write about the series “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R. Martin, which happens to be a constant stream of emotional trauma. In the end, however, I decided to ignore that suggestion in favor of something that I would be able to stop talking about sooner rather than later.
That being said, the decision just made me sit on my thumbs even more.
Then it hit me during an activity that we were doing in advisory one morning. What I really need right now is for somebody to be able to tell me what the big deal is with bucket lists.
I understand perfectly well what a bucket list is, but I don’t really see the appeal. Like, why should we sit down and write about all the things that we want to do before we die? I mean, is it just me, or is that kind of depressing? Because the term “bucket list”was derived from the term “kick the bucket,” it could be rather depressing. Why must there be a list of things to do before you die? Why can’t  you just go day by day and live it up, go with what the world gives you and go with the flow? It shouldn’t be that hard to do, but if you want to make a list of depressing things – because in my mind it’s depressing – what if you make a list and never accomplish anything on it?  More power to you.
I was told to throw three things out there that were on my bucket list, but that’s the thing. I didn’t have a bucket list. I maybe had one thing on the list, which is to write a book. Obviously I want to do that before I die because I’m probably not going to write it after I die. The next two things I said were things that I already had, so there are a couple other things that I will add here. My bucket list consists of writing a book, not hiding myself, and getting on Kesley Gilbert’s level.
I know that I said I didn’t see the appeal of a bucket list, but that advisory session got me thinking. I have given you the three things on my bucket list, and I’ll tell you right now that I’m most likely only going to be able to accomplish two out of those three things.
Darn, I guess that means that I’ll have to spend my afterlife getting on someone’s level.