My Bucket List #BefikarUmarBhar

You only life once, so it is better to live life to the fullest they say. I cannot agree more. With the evolving times I'm glad to see the lifestyles of people changing as well. Yes, there are a certain few who still prefer to be the frog in the well. There is no point talking to such people. They shall dwell and then die in that well in ignorance. It is a beautiful world out there, it needs to be explored. There are so many things to learn in this world, it needs to be learnt. There are so many feelings in this world, it needs to be experienced. And for that you need to want to do it. Nobody else can do it for you. Such passions come from within a person and such passions need to see the light of day. Life is really short, and there are still so many things that I need to do. If I know that I'm set for life and no other tensions, then it is about time that I make my own bucket list.

 So these are the things that I want to do before I kick the bucket.

1. Travel the world.

This would be on the list of almost everyone I'm sure. I want to travel and explore new cities and fall in love with it. Every city has a story to tell and every story deserves to be heard. And I want to listen. I want to travel to atleast ten countries before I die. I have already been to three, so seven more pending. There is something wonderful about the pleasures of travelling. I'm born with wanderlust, and it keeps me dreaming. I want to scale the alps of Switzerland, climb atop the Eiffel tower in Paris, go on a moonlight boat ride in Venice, enjoy the view from the Grand Canyon, watch an opera at the Sydney opera house, walk on the London bridge, experience the chill in Canada and eat authentic Chinese food from China. Of course, this is just a gist. My list goes on and on and I seriously pray to God to give me the strength to fulfill it.

2. Be a best selling author.

I do not want to be the next J.K Rowling, but I want to be able to live off the money that I make from my books. It is way too early to talk about it no doubt, but the dream is too strong to be ignored. I want to write books for a living. My first book is just taking shape, but I know that it will see the light of day sometime soon. I do not want to stop at that. I want to write series of books and keep going. Danielle Steel is my inspiration and someday I hope that I'm able to write like her. Her characters are so real that you can see them around you. I first read her book when I was thirteen, and then I knew that if I ever become a writer I would strive to become like her. I want to have a number of books in my name. Not anthologies, standalone books. I want people to wait for my next book. I want to create characters that live in people. And I shall do all that I can to achieve it.

3. Learn Swimming.

I have been wanting to learn swimming for over ten years now. Shame on me for not having fulfilled it until now. It is not that I fear water, it is just that I have not found the time to go for classes and learn it. Strange na? I have always been fascinated by pools. When I visit resorts or travel, I look at the clear blue pools and envy the people who are swimming carefree in it. I want to be able to do so too. I have heard that swimming is the ultimate stress buster and helps in weight loss as well. That is another reason for me to pursue it. This summer, I'm gonna take the plunge. Literally.

4. Open a cafe.

I'm a lover of food and so is my husband. I love cooking as much as I love eating. It is a dream of mine to open a quaint cafe and serve some delicious food. Mainly gourmet desserts. I know there is serious competition in the food business, but when I'm ready I'm going to open a place of mine. Almost every conversation of mine revolves around food and baking is a passion as well as a stress buster. I want to put it to good use soon. Someday, after I'm retired and have some spare time from my writing, I shall give this a serious though. Somewhere in my head I can imagine a 50 year old me, sitting in my own cafe with a cup of tea and typing a story. Wow, that just gave me goosebumps.

5. Start a charity.

Presently I do all that I can to help the underprivileged. I donate clothes, books and money to a nearby blind school. But I want to do more. I want to start an online charity that enables people to transfer money and send other products to NGOs. I want to leave something behind for my kids to follow. I want to make an impact on people's heart and not only via my books and food. I want to help people meet their basic resources if not their luxuries. I want to connect the donor and the recipient directly and spread awareness about why this is important. It is not about being proud and standing on a pedestal to make myself look like God, it is something that I want to do to feel good about myself. I want to create a solid foundation that will continue even after I'm gone. One stone at a time, I am working towards it.

This post is written as an entry for Indi Happy Hours - Befikar Umar Bhar activity in association with Indiblogger and IDBI Federal.