Beyond my Bucket List

Dear friends,

I'd like to take a quick moment and thank you for following along with my adventures.  Though I know I haven't met all of you who read this blog, I'm thankful for every one of you.

Last week, I had the opportunity to get to know a fascinating woman.  This is a woman who has achieved great success in her life.  When I first met her, she was speaking to a group I was a part of and I found myself oddly drawn to her.  I couldn't exactly pinpoint why it was, but I made a point of introducing myself to her at the completion of the event.  Not only was her story incredible and inspiring, but there seemed to be something radiating from within her.  Happiness?  Success?  Contentment?  I really didn't know what it was, but I liked her.

She agreed to have coffee with me and impart some wisdom on career paths.  We talked a bit on careers, but quickly discovered we share a love for adventure, travel and new experiences.  The conversation changed gears and we shared some of our favorite experiences as well as a few items from our bucket lists.  I found that she had done some of the things I have not yet checked off my bucket list, so once again, she was inspiring me.  I enjoyed my time with her very much and left considering a lot of my favorite memories and adventures.  

I truly hope each and every one of you has a Bucket List.  I mean a true, written down list that you do everything you can to pursue the dreams on it.  I certainly have mine.  It is an ever evolving list.  There are currently 20 items on my list that have yet to be checked off and, believe me, I'm focused making them all happen.  Little by little, I WILL achieve everything.

There is another list I keep as well and that's the one I want to share with you today.  It is a list of some of the experiences I've had and skills I've learned that I treasure.  Some were crossed off my bucket list, others were more random opportunities.  It's important to remember the things you've accomplished.  Sometimes when I feel like there is still so much I want to do in my life and feel overwhelmed trying to figure out how I am going to manage to do everything, I look back on the things I have done and revel in how much fun I've had.  The list below is a piece of the list I copied and pasted from my personal document.  The grammar is massively inconsistent  so please forgive me.  I just wanted to share some of these things with you and remind you that not every accomplishment or adventure has to be extraordinary, expensive or life-changing.  An adventure is an adventure because it brought you joy and opened your eyes to something new, whether it be great or small.

Things I've Done

Bungee Jumped

Parasailed 

On the field for first NFL game of the season

Climbed the fence at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Water-ski

Own & ride motorcycles

Own a boat

Can drive a backhoe

Can drive a bobcat

Can drive a forklift

Got tattoos

Slept on the beach

Barrell Raced in a rodeo in Bandera, TX

Played cowbell in a steel drum band

Traveled to Italy

Swam in Mediterranean

Swam in Gulf of Mexico

Swam in Atlantic

Swam in Pacific

Learned to weld

Hunting

Own a home

Ride a mechanical bull

Drive a houseboat

Clean fish

Clean turtles

Hiked up a mountain for the sunset

Helped deliver a calf

Hang Glide

Participated in a 5K

Rode a painted horse in the Rio Grande

Listen to a Native American Storyteller

Spent time with Grampa in hospital & nursing home & held his hand when I thought I’d lose him right then

Was in a TV commercial

Learned to mountain bike at Women’s mountain biking clinic

Sprint Distance Triathalon

Met Garth Brooks!

Install laminate flooring in a whole house

Put on fireworks show at the lake

Mud Run

Trap shooting

Ziplining

Album release party in Nashville

Built a cabin porch in my living room

Hiked on the Appalachian Trail

Women

A couple of weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised to receive a call at work from one of my college professors.  She had spent some time tracking me down to find out how to get a hold of me.  It was not only wonderful to hear from her, but she was calling to invite me to sit on a panel and speak to one of her classes.  It is always an honor to be offered the opportunity to go back to campus and share some of my knowledge and experiences with students.

I hold a Bachelor's Degree in Tourism, Conventions and Event Management from Indiana University which I earned attending the IUPUI campus.  The TCEM program gave me a solid foundation for all I have done in my professional life.  I remember how valuable it was when industry professionals would come in to speak to the classes I was taking in college.  I remember so much from what those individuals shared and how much I was able to learn about different aspects of the industry.  It is incredible to think that I am now the one offering up information about the path I took and my place in the industry.

Walking into the classroom, it was so nice to see my past professor and give her a hug.  There were a few minutes to get acquainted with the other four ladies who were on the panel as well.  Two of them I knew as we had gone through the program around the same time.  The other two were new faces.

Just prior to the beginning of class, two other professors who had given me great inspiration during my college career strolled in and took a seat as well.  It took a moment for me to take this in. These professors took time out of their day to sit through a class I was at the front of.  Wow!  How wonderful!

When the professor gave her class introduction, she indicated that this was the first time in her many years of teaching that she had an entirely female class.  I looked around and saw it was true. There were 18 women sitting at the desks around the room.  She said she had purposely sought out  five industry professionals who were also women to talk to this class.  How cool!

There's something so special about being in a group of women.  This is something I've only realized in the last year.  It may not surprise you to know that traditionally, I haven't understood the value in having close friends who are women.  With my interests and attitude, men have been easier to be friends with.

Last year, I started reading some books that were written to speak to the hearts of women.  (No, not 50 Shades of Grey... though I can greatly enjoy that kind of "women's book" too).  I was amazed at how deeply I connected with those books.  Because I am not the "typical" female in any way, shape or form, I anticipated the authors to have a hard time reaching me.

It really hit me while reading, Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge.  This little quote sums up the essence of the book quite well, "Every little girl holds in her heart her most precious dreams. She longs to be swept up into a romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, to be the beauty of the story. Those desires are far more than child's play. They are the secret to the feminine heart."

The book talks about the things that are truly at the core of a woman's heart.  Despite what her interests are or how life has affected her, these things seem to be universal.  Reading this book softened my heart and my attitude a bit.  It made me realize that I don't have to be 100% tough all the time.  I can have my guyish hobbies, but still be feminine at heart.  What an incredible revelation.  

Not only was did I become more passionate about the beauty of being a woman, but I suddenly felt a connection to other women.  If the things I read were true of me, they must be true of other women as well.  Maybe I had more in common with them than I ever realized.  I now consider it a blessing to have the opportunity to share time and experiences with the women in my life.