Filling the bucket: My 30 by 30 List

December 5th, 2010 was a memorable day for me. It was a day that, although I don't remember the events completely, I remember the affect they had on me. It was a day that ended with me staring at the ceiling, pondering some of life's proverbial questions: What have I accomplished so far? What does my future look like? Am I making the most of my talents and potential?

On December 5th, 2010 my older brother turned 30 years old, and on that day I realized I was only three years behind him.

Doing a quick online search will begin to reveal the culturally invented importance we sometimes place on the third decade mark. So as I stare down the farewell to my 20's I feel the need to adhere to the ritualistic ceremony of creating a 30 by 30 or a 30-year-old bucket list.

Since that December night, the idea of creating and accomplishing the list has been trapped in my mind and failed to coalesce into a tangible inventory until my flight home from a work trip a few weeks ago. I had just spent a week in San Diego at a conference, and was headed home on Saturday May 14th. I boarded Frontier flight F9 575 out of Denver International Airport, and sat between what I supposed were to college students similar to my own age. One was a girl named Shannon from Vernal, Utah and the other was a physics student originally from Utah but studying now in Boston. We became acquainted with each other through some chitchat about where we live, what we do, and why we were headed to Salt Lake City, and discovered that we were all connected to Logan, Utah.

Shannon had spent a year in Logan going to school, and the physics student (didn't catch his name or don't remember it now) had lived in Logan and graduated from Logan high school just a few years ago. He spent most of the flight catching up on sleep from a full day of travel or studying a text book. Shannon and I had a good conversation throughout most of the flight, that revealed that she was a quite an interesting person. She spends her summers fighting fires in the Vernal area, and amongst other things had recently participated in the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay Race with the fellow employees at the accounting office she worked at.

After the complimentary drinks and the delicious warm cookie Frontier offers on their flights (awesome) our conversation turned to my turning 30 years old and my desire to create and accomplish a "30 by 30." Shannon decided to help me. She pulled out the really nice journal that was a gift from her boyfriend who had just graduated from office training in the Army (her reason for being on the flight, she was returning from his graduation). She tore out a piece of paper and we began listing the 29 things I would like to accomplish in the next three years (decided to just do 29 because that is how many lines her paper had and it was one short of 30). The 30th item being to "Finish this List."

Here it is in no particular order:

1. Fly in a hot air balloon.
2. Hold an idea.
3. Start a business.
4. Learn to play the Cello.
5. Finish a 5K.
6. Experience all 50 states (feet must touch the ground and see a unique attraction).
7. Learn a foreign language.
8. Take a cruise through the Mediterranean.
9. Take a cross country train ride.
10. Keep a journal.
11. Start to write a book/screenplay.
12. Get into graduate/professional school.
13. Become a father.
14. Buy a piano.
15. Start and finish P90X program.
16. Go on a backpacking expedition.
17. Volunteer in a local non-profit organization.
18. Become a coach.
19. Shoot below 95 for a round of golf.
20. Reconnect with old friends.
21. Find a deceased individual ancestor and perform the vicarious ordinances of salvation in the temple.
22.  Watch an NFL game in an NFL stadium.
23.  Hike the Wellsville Mountains.
24.  Get a Platinum trophy on NCAA 11.
25.  Finish a food challenge at a restaurant.
26. Visit and photograph all the LDS Temples in Utah.
27. Watch all of ESPN Film's 30 for 30.
28. Graduate from LDS Institute of Religion.
29. Own first edition hardcover versions of all of Michael Crichton's books.

 I am eight four three two items short and have a few more ideas, but would love your feedback on the list so far as well as any things to fill in the blanks. Please share in the comments or suggest some privately.

If you think lists like this are silly please make your case against it. Especially if you have had your own personal experience with such lists.

I would like to thank my older brother for giving me the three year warning, and apologize that his list will now have to be a 40 by 40. I would like to thank Shannon for reminding me how fun it is to meet new people and challenging me to continue to make life interesting, and I would like to preemptively thank everyone for their comments, suggestions and feedback.