Last week, one of my favorite tv shows in recent years came to a close. NBC’s “The Good Place” was funny, light-hearted, and provided a compelling and entertaining look at a potential theory about what happens when we die. If you believe in the afterlife, you hope that heaven is a magical place where you’ll experience happiness for eternity. Heaven is a place where everything is possible. I won’t say what happens in “The Good Place,” but the final episodes made me think about what I want to have done by the time I have completed my journey in this lifetime/soul cycle/dimension.
Here are my top ten things that I want to do before I die:
1. Go to Fashion Week and see a fashion show. I would love to go to fashion week in Paris, Milan or NYC! I want to see the catwalks for myself, complete with the models with their elegance and the designers who create the art that inspires them.
2. Learn how to fight with a lightsaber. HEAR ME OUT, OKAY? Since dating Aaron, I’ve really gotten into the Star Wars movies (I liked them before we met, but his love for them has made me like them even more). Hollywood Studios has these epic, IRL lightsabers. It’s crazy to watch fan videos and meetups of people actually engaging in combat with them. It’s like sword fighting! I want to get a lightsaber this year, and I hope Aaron can teach me. I’ve seen him fight a friend with his. He’s trained his whole life for this.
3. Go scuba diving in Australia. This is twofold, because I want to get my scuba license before I die!
I think I want to go shark diving in Australia but I’m also a little too scared to do it. Maybe I’ll make that the last item on my bucket list, so I can at least say in the last millisecond of my life “Hey I finished my bucket list” before a Great White swallows me whole.
4. Go to the Winter Olympics. I loved figure skating as a kid, and even now I find the sport absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing. I want to go to the Winter Olympics one day to see the champions of this sport in person.
5. Attend Wimbledon. See above statement about figure skating, but kind of replace with tennis! It’s the one outdoor sport I more than tolerate. I think it’s very energetic and suspenseful. I’d love to see the greatest championship with my own two eyes!
6. Attend a benefit wearing a dress like Anastasia’s blue ball gown in the movie “Anastasia.” This movie came out when I was four three years old, I believe, and I’ve stored this dress in my subconscious for years now. I love this dress and I want one just like it, and I want to wear it somewhere fancy with very important people.
7. Go to Asia. Adding any travel bucket list doesn’t seem fair, because a) I want to go everywhere and b) I WILL go everywhere. But specifically, I want to go to Bali and swim in a waterfall. And then go drink out of a coconut or pineapple. Or eat a smoothie bowl out of a coconut or pineapple. Speaking of food…
8. Eat the $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae at Serendipity 3. This is one of the most expensive desserts in the world, and from the looks of the rest of the list, they’re that expensive because they include an opulent piece of jewelry (the most expensive item on the list includes a 10+ carat engagement ring). I want the price to be all about the indulgence of the food! It’s silly but one day, I will enjoy this frozen treat that is worth more than my rent. ONE. DAY.
9. Learn Hebrew. Can I call this my mother tongue? Probably not. Will it be super useful when I travel? Unlikely. I still want to learn it! Also on this list is French, Italian, Spanish, German, Mandarin and Russian. I should also probably learn Portugese because I’ve been hearing it more and more in everyday life, too!
10. Meet (and thank) a personal hero. Whether it’s Brendon Urie, Demi Lovato, Tina Fey, or Mindy Kaling, certain people really helped me feel happy and comfortable with who I am. I know I could just comment “Thanks for saving me” on one of their Instagram posts, but that feels disingenuous. I’d love to meet someone influential who made a difference to me at a point when it’s not fangirly for me to say “Thank you for what you’ve created.” And for good measure, I thank my mom every day!
These are just a few of the things I’d like to do before I die. My time on earth will mean something, or at the least, be full of meaning.
Now it’s 9:20 PM and dreams of Balinese waterfalls and fancy foods await! Sweet dreams, for sure.