Remarkably Mediocre

A long, long time ago, I wrote my version of a bucket list. The ‘Live Louder’ list. The idea was to write down all of the things I wanted to do and start ticking them off. The idea wasn’t to do them all before I die, just to have a visual reminder to live instead of existing.

My live louder list has 43 items on it and it grows annually. I’ve thousands more things to add to the list but because I haven’t started ticking them off yet, it’d end up feeling impossible if I add more. The list is at least 10 years old and do you know how many items I’ve ticked off in that time? 5? 10? Probably about 2.

A lot of the list is places I want to travel. Not as general as a country but more specific, a particular event in a country or an exact location. Big ticket items like swimming with Whale Sharks In Western Australia, or sleeping in the Sahara Desert. There’s other stuff on there too, like skinny dipping (attempted and failed so couldn’t cross it off – more on that later) and starting a flower farm, or learning how to Tango. All things that sound realistically achievable but yet I still haven’t attempted.

I bring this up because I’m finally ready to start giving it a red hot crack at achieving some of these goals. What’s changed? Is it because I turned 40? Could be. Or maybe because I went through a break-up? Also possible. The Perimenopause could be a contributing factor. And it’s quite possible that I really am just sick of existing just to be part of the rat race.

You know the deal…wake up, already exhausted, race to get the kid(s) ready for school, commute to a job that isn’t so bad, pays a decent salary but makes you increasingly defeated, buy lunch at an overpriced cafe, make small talk with people you wish you didn’t have to, race home, do school pick-up, run to an activity, make dinner, pack a lunch box, do a few errands, collapse exhausted intending to have an early night, only to doom-scroll your life away.

Sound familiar? Or am I being dramatic? Either way, I want to change things. I want to create a life that gives me the freedom to try all, and maybe master, these wonderful opportunities and experience more than a corporate life. And so, I’m going to break down the list in order of achievability and have a bloody good time.

Anyone interested in seeing the list? Do you have one? What’s on it?