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Thursday, March 24, 2011

The expected's just the beginning. The unexpected is what changes our lives.

Three months ago, I began a new chapter in my life. Accepting a job offer to play volleyball in Hungary was extremely impulsive, but then again, what else would you expect from this recent college grad? I have a slight tendency to act spontaneously. For the most part, my decisions are harmless and all part of my coming-of-age process. I believe that everything in life happens for a reason, that my choices are all part of my life's journey, blah blah, you get the point.

My life has no constant; my future is unpredictable. I am a brand new “real life” adult. All I have right now is freedom and adventure, both of which are just beginning. I have no concept of time, as everything in my life has always been on a day-to-day basis. I hate making plans, and prefer to create a general outline, allowing for changes to come and go as they please. My goals are extremely broad and general. I am at a point where I am truly just now figuring out who I am. There are very few guarantees in life, even less in that of a 21-year old volleyball vagabond. For now, I will continue to live and play volleyball overseas in the tiny town of Bekescsaba, Hungary. After that, my life plans are pretty much up in the air. My only goal is to live and experience everything I can, for as long as I can before I am no longer allowed to run away from the inevitable grasp of society.

As with most individuals growing up in my generation, I want to leave my mark in the world. I have done some research, and learned some incredible accomplishments that others have reached by the time they were 22. By age 22, Mark Spitz had won 7 Olympic gold medals and Charles Darwin had set sail for the Galapagos Islands. By age 21, Steven Jobs co-founded Apple Computer and Humphrey David discovered laughing gas. By age 20, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard and cofounded Microsoft, and Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice (which I still haven't read). By 19, Abner Doubleday created the rules for baseball. By age 18, Billy the Kid was charged with 12 murders (ok this is a little morbid and disturbing, but still, he left his mark). By age 17, Pele won the World Cup match for Brazil, before passing out on the field.

In attempts to create my own legacy, I borrowed a few ideas from “The Bucket List” and “A Walk to Remember”. There’s something about people on their deathbeds in movies that really get you thinking about your own life, and thus I decided to create a list of my own. My goals are solely based on my preferences and meant strictly for my own personal gain; however, many of them would be better enjoyed alongside the company of friends. My list has no order, as life is unpredictable and you never know what will be thrown in your direction. The only stipulation is that the list is to be completed before my demise. My bucket list has ideas about travel, about life, and variations of anything in between. I want to see the 7 wonders of the world, all 50 states, live in 4 countries. I’m not sure why I picked 4, but regardless, I’m halfway there. I want to solve a rubix cube without cheating, ride a mechanical bull, and learn another language. I want to fall in love, start a family, have a dog and teach that dog to fetch beer from the fridge. I want to watch the 10 greatest American films of all time, see the real Mona Lisa, and see a sunrise and sunset in the same 24-hour period. I want to break a Guinness book world record.

Ok, obviously some of my goals are ridiculous, but they’re what makes me “me”. If they weren’t absurdly impossible, than anyone could do them, and what’s so spectacular about that?

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