Gin Sander - The Big Bucket List Book: 133 Experiences of a Lifetime

Copyright 2016 by Gin Sander

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For Bryan, who has led a most remarkable life and continues to inspire me to head out in search of adventure, and for David, who happily accompanies me as I do.

Are you at the point in life where youre looking for new ideas and adventures? Feeling in a rut, or just wanting to make sure youre enjoying your life to the fullest? You have come to the right place! We live in exciting times. Opportunity for personal growth and lasting adventure surrounds us if we dedicate ourselves to looking out for it. But in our busy, overworked, and distracted world, it can be easy to let those possibilities slip by. Every day I try to keep an open attitude in the hope it will steer me toward taking chances, stretching for goals, and continuing to move forward in life to experience as much as I can, as fully as I can.

Does that sound like a mantra for living that youd like to embrace? Make it your own from now on with this book. In the pages to come I offer ideas for anyone at any point in his or her lifestarting out, midway through a career, or winding down workwisewho wants to add a challenge, perhaps a touch of glamour, and a solid sense of satisfaction, enjoyment, and accomplishment to their pursuit of a well-lived life. This list includes unique travel destinations, a great many personal challenges, and more than a few unusual pastimes, and will amuse and delight readers with a host of new ideas. So lets get started.

You might be wondering, A well-lived life, according to whom ? No one wants to be told what to do, where to go, or how to think, of course. And thats not what this book aims to do. Rather, its goal is to inspire you to pursue exciting new experiences youve always dreamed of (and some you may have never imagined), whether those experiences are halfway across the world or right in your own backyard. Also, dont use this list as a reason to feel inadequate about what youve done in your life thus far. The world gives us plenty of chances to feel that way every day (and if you have children, Im sure youve noticed that they will happily point your inadequacies out as well).

Instead, imagine you and I are having drinks in a wine bar, the soft afternoon light filtering in from the street while we enjoy a glass or two and swap ideas on things wed like to accomplish before heading to that wine bar in the sky. You suddenly realize, why couldnt I finally try that hobby Ive always been meaning to pick up? Or why couldnt I go on that trip Ive dreamed of? Or maybe, in the course of the conversation, you even think of things you want to try that had never occurred to you.

Thats what I did, of course. Had countless glasses and hours of conversation with well-traveled and accomplished people, listening to their goals and dreams, mentally adding the things that appealed to me to my own list. Youll hear from many of them in this book. Their perspectives and recounting of their experiences and ideas were enough to make me want to cut the conversation short and get going!

One friend told me he wanted to die with his boots on.

But Bryan, I pointed out, you dont wear cowboy boots. You wear velvet slippers.

Yes he did, he admitted, in fact he had thirty pairs of custom-made slippers from a shoemaker in Venice. Must go to Venice for velvet slippers, I thought to myself, smiling and sipping gin as he spoke. Simply must.

So what exactly do I mean by a well-lived life? Do I think we need to earn our spot on the planet and make full use of our talents, imaginations, and drives? No. Here is what a well-lived life means to me:

That you have showered love and affection on those around you and received it in return.

That the world is a better place because of your energy, generosity, creativity, and efforts.

That you had the chance to get out in the world and poke around, not just to observe, but to fully engage with other people in other places.

That you had a hand in creating something, somewhere that will outlive you.

In other words, I believe that to pursue a well-lived life you need to get out there and make something happen. Participate in life, rather than observe or drown in the dreaded feeling that its just passing you by. But its more than just putting another notch in your belt. Much was made of President Obamas ten-minute stop at Stonehenge during a state visit to England. Knocked that off my bucket list, he said, climbing back into his motorcade and heading off to the next meeting. Is that all there is to some bucket lists, to merely view something of interest while making a mental check next to that item? Theres something quite sad about that.

This book is designed to get you engaged in your life so that you fully experience it on all levels. Planning a trip to Paris? Great. Why not also plan to become a part of Paris? To have a business in Paris, to learn a skill in Paris, to rehab a house in Paris, to model clothes in Paris, to paint in Paris, to run a marathon in Paris, to make wine in Paris, to have your hair done in Paris Are you getting the idea here?

Of course you no doubt already have a hundred ideas about the things youd like to do in your life. You may have been keeping a list for years now. I hope that this book will help you find many interesting ways to add to the list of the things youve longed to do at some point in your life or figure out how you can turn your own bucket-list wishes into realities. Think of this book and the ideas inside as an extra bit of frosting that you have swiped off the edge of lifes cake.