It's natural to make lists.
Today in British Literature, my professor was teaching on the sixteen century. We started discussing Martin Luther and his 95 theses, when I suddenly realized something.
Martin Luther is a champion.
He knew what he needed to do and he did it. He wrote down all these complaints and issues he had against the church, and instead of just pegging them on a cork board in his office, he went down and NAILED the thing to the door of the church. That got me thinking about things I want to do with my life, so for the next hour of lecturing, I wrote my bucket list. I like to think Martin Luther had one too. This is what I've got thus far, in no particular order:
1. Get a drink and/or sandwich named after me.
2. Try out vegetarianism for a month, then eat a huge steak
3. Get published
4. Run to and kiss the boy I love in an airport
5. Learn how to drive stick shift
6. Successfully complete an entire Harry Potter marathon
7. Buy a pet owl
8. Speak in front of the church
9. Knit a sweater and wear it in public
10. Go to Greece
11. Read War and Peace
12. Go on a road trip across America
13. Drive to Charleston just to see the sun rise
14. Meet John Krasinski
15. Have a conversation with Rob Dyrdek
16. Send an incredibly creepy family christmas photo to everyone I know
17. Write a movie script
18. Study in London
19. Write for NBC
20. Swim with dolphins
21. Rollar blade around campus for a whole day
22. Go bridge jumping
23. Get a meaningful tattoo
24. Convince someone giraffes aren't real
25. Punch someone in the face (for good reason)
26. Quit a job, then say "You don't know how high I can fly." Michael Scott style
27. Got to Lake Lure, NC, the place where Dirty dancing was filmed, and swim in the lake and walk on the log that Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey danced across.
28. Go to the 500 Days of Summer bench, and draw on someones arm
29. Go on a "dinner, dancing, drinks" date
30. Own season tickets for a college basketball team
31. Learn how to fence
32. Sing "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton in a karaoke bar like Lorelai Gilmore
33. Write a song and play it on the guitar
34. Buy a record player and listen to records while smoking a pipe
35. Solve a rubik's cube
36. Do mission work in Africa
37. Learn how to play the piano
38. Be a troubadour for a day
39. Go to a film festival
40. Fly first class
41. Watch someone perform Beat Poetry
42. Go to and participate in a drum circle
43. Spy on someone with Jabez Waters, and NOT get caught
44. Dedicate a book to my father
45. Somehow show my mother how much I appreciate her
46. Go a Justin Bieber concert
47. Eat more donuts than Connor Morvay in one sitting
48. Go to the opera
49. Take Katie Waters to New York
50. Love. Period.
Those are all the ones I'm willing to post on the internet.
What's on your bucket list?
"Between the river and the ravens I'm fed, sweet deliverer you lift up my head, lead me in your way."
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Tick Tock, you're Not a Clock. You're a Time Bomb.
It's natural to feel sad.
You know that look that people give you when they know something really bad has happened to you? People look at you like you this ticking time bomb, about to explode into tears and emotions and get it all over their new jeans. But really, it's just the opposite. You feel as though you are about to quietly disappear, as if the slightest wind could knock you over and that would be the end of it. Like you are the last leaf left on a tree during fall, and the only thing holding you together is the promise of spring. The great thing about emotional turmoil is that you get excellent material for writing out of it (see above sentence, pretty good right?) I may just crank out a top 40 hit as well. Besides, the longer I live, the more I realize God knows exactly what he is doing. Ergo, no fear.
You know that look that people give you when they know something really bad has happened to you? People look at you like you this ticking time bomb, about to explode into tears and emotions and get it all over their new jeans. But really, it's just the opposite. You feel as though you are about to quietly disappear, as if the slightest wind could knock you over and that would be the end of it. Like you are the last leaf left on a tree during fall, and the only thing holding you together is the promise of spring. The great thing about emotional turmoil is that you get excellent material for writing out of it (see above sentence, pretty good right?) I may just crank out a top 40 hit as well. Besides, the longer I live, the more I realize God knows exactly what he is doing. Ergo, no fear.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
This one's for you, Beth.
It's natural to have irrational fears.
I am now a college student. While reflecting on this new adventure in my life, I am reminded of why I get to go to college.
Her name is Beth.
"Who is Beth?"
you may ask, or "what does this mysterious Beth have anything to do with Natalie's ability to pursue higher education?"
Let me explain.
When I was in middle school, my youth group took a trip to Daytona Beach, Florida.
The day of the incident had the appearance of a normal day. Foreboding clouds painted the sky. Buzzards encircled the hotel. I swear I saw what looked like a dementor outside my window.
Okay, so none of that actually happened....which is why we never saw it coming.
As the time for our worship meeting approached, me and five other girls walked down the hall to the elevator, pushed the button, and boarded what I would later referred to as "the death machine." The elevator started moving up, as one would expect, when suddenly it shook violently and abruptly stopped.
We all said the first thing that came to our mind;
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"WE'RE GOING TO PLUMMET OT THE BASEMENT!"
"WE'RE ON THE FIRST FLOOR YOU IDIOT!"
"I DON'T WANNNA DIIEEEEE!"
I'm paraphrasing, of course.
We frantically pushed more buttons as fear gripped our hearts. Nothing worked. We were in a standstill limbo of death in this evil transportation box. I didn't want to die, I hadn't even been to high school yet! I still had to walk in a LINE down the hallways at school; a fact that seemed too depressing to dwell on.
We were all in a panic, when suddenly we realized there was another person outside of our party in the elevator. She was a short women, appeared to be in her forties, and looked as though she weighed about 90 pounds. This is perhaps why we didn't notice her initially, seeing as though she was about the size of Dobby the house elf.
"It's going to be alright ladies, we will be out of here in no time," she said soothingly as she reached for the telephone built into the elevator (which of course none of us had noticed). She talked calmly to the manager explaining our situation. She told us her name was Beth. We watched in awe as this angelic woman singlehandedly plotted our escape from the perilous death box, and what seemed like hours later, the doors finally opened to freedom.
As we all piled out of the elevator, we swore to her that we would all somehow repay her for saving our lives. My first book will be dedicated to Beth. And probably my first child, boy or girl. Or dog.
Looking back, I think we were stuck in the elevator for 8 minutes. At tops.
But for now, I raise my water bottle to you Beth, for I am currently in the library attempting to study for my Spanish test tomorrow.
Muchos gracias Beth.
I am now a college student. While reflecting on this new adventure in my life, I am reminded of why I get to go to college.
Her name is Beth.
"Who is Beth?"
you may ask, or "what does this mysterious Beth have anything to do with Natalie's ability to pursue higher education?"
Let me explain.
When I was in middle school, my youth group took a trip to Daytona Beach, Florida.
The day of the incident had the appearance of a normal day. Foreboding clouds painted the sky. Buzzards encircled the hotel. I swear I saw what looked like a dementor outside my window.
Okay, so none of that actually happened....which is why we never saw it coming.
As the time for our worship meeting approached, me and five other girls walked down the hall to the elevator, pushed the button, and boarded what I would later referred to as "the death machine." The elevator started moving up, as one would expect, when suddenly it shook violently and abruptly stopped.
We all said the first thing that came to our mind;
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"WE'RE GOING TO PLUMMET OT THE BASEMENT!"
"WE'RE ON THE FIRST FLOOR YOU IDIOT!"
"I DON'T WANNNA DIIEEEEE!"
I'm paraphrasing, of course.
We frantically pushed more buttons as fear gripped our hearts. Nothing worked. We were in a standstill limbo of death in this evil transportation box. I didn't want to die, I hadn't even been to high school yet! I still had to walk in a LINE down the hallways at school; a fact that seemed too depressing to dwell on.
We were all in a panic, when suddenly we realized there was another person outside of our party in the elevator. She was a short women, appeared to be in her forties, and looked as though she weighed about 90 pounds. This is perhaps why we didn't notice her initially, seeing as though she was about the size of Dobby the house elf.
"It's going to be alright ladies, we will be out of here in no time," she said soothingly as she reached for the telephone built into the elevator (which of course none of us had noticed). She talked calmly to the manager explaining our situation. She told us her name was Beth. We watched in awe as this angelic woman singlehandedly plotted our escape from the perilous death box, and what seemed like hours later, the doors finally opened to freedom.
As we all piled out of the elevator, we swore to her that we would all somehow repay her for saving our lives. My first book will be dedicated to Beth. And probably my first child, boy or girl. Or dog.
Looking back, I think we were stuck in the elevator for 8 minutes. At tops.
But for now, I raise my water bottle to you Beth, for I am currently in the library attempting to study for my Spanish test tomorrow.
Muchos gracias Beth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)