The Terror of Knowing

I have a love/hate relationship with anything that resembles a ‘bucket list’ or ‘X before X’ list. I love the idea of optimistic goal setting but the realist (read: pessimist) in me knows that I likely won’t get to accomplish every goal I set myself due to lack of confidence, lack of money, or lack of opportunity – or all of the above. It’s because of this mindset that I have quite a fraught relationship with anything in this vein of list-making, particularly because it also strikes a strangely sensitive chord in me when it comes to travel-related goals which so often take up lists such as this.

You see, I have been to very few places in my life – growing up we just didn’t have the kind of disposable income that allowed for holidays to far-flung destinations; what we did have was the money to have a bloody good time going on a family holiday to a caravan site somewhere on the Spanish coast. Again largely because of money, I didn’t go on any school trips to places outside the UK either (no Easter skiing holiday or history trip to Auschwitz for me). I’ve never really felt particularly deprived because of this, I’ve just been very aware that I haven’t been to a lot of places that other people might have. But it’s because of this that I don’t even know where to start with places I want to see in my life.

So, you see, bucket lists and 30 before 30 lists spin me to all different kinds of personal places – and not necessarily in the way they intend. Even so, I’ve decided (probably quite foolishly considering I’m 25 at the time of writing this list, and 26 is fast approaching) to construct a list because God loves a trier, right? There’s a mix of low key goals or challenges here and there are some that are more dependent on me having the financial means and (to be honest) the annual leave left to complete them. However, I hope it’s a nice mix of doable and then the more challenging things to accomplish.

As I composed this list at the start of 2018 (yes it has taken me this long to decide what I really think of 30 Before 30 type lists, it’s a wonder I ever achieve anything at that rate), I’ll be already marking off anything I’ve achieved so far this year in 2018. I hope to document each challenge in some way on this blog, whether that’s through a blog post series explaining why I want to do each item on my list and/or through a blog post of me recounting my trip to the given destination or the skill I wanted to acquire etc. Either way, I hope you will stick with me on my journey to complete this 30 Before 30 list which might just help to change my initial perception/hesitation on the entire idea of them too!

1. Visit 10 National Trust/English Heritage sites/national parks
2. Visit Chatsworth House
3. Visit Greenwich
4. Visit Versailles
5. Visit Paris catacombs
6. Visit Notre-Dame Cathedral
7. Visit Sagrada Familia
8. Visit the Harry Potter Studio Tour
9. Visit Wales
10. Walk on Main Street USA
11. See a Shakespeare play at the Globe
12. Attend the Championships at Wimbledon
13. Eat a croissant in France
14. Eat a paella in Spain
15. Eat pasta/pizza in Italy
16. Read War and Peace
17. Read Les Misérables
18. Read all of Jane Austen’s novels
19. Read a novel in Spanish
20. Read all of Shakespeare’s plays
21. Complete a ‘Classics Club’ list (reading 50 classics)
22. Host a readathon/readalong
23. ‘Win’ NaNoWriMo (write 50,000 words in a month)
24. Do a ‘blog every day’ challenge
25. Knit a full garment (e.g. scarf/hat)
26. Learn how to drive
27. Own a MacBook
28. Learn how to bake bread
29. Learn a ballroom dance
30. Attend a spinning class

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