This blog post is kind of going to steer away from the typical travel blog posts that fill the archives of Kachina’s Nomaddiction. If you follow my blog, I’m sure you’ve noticed the big gaps in between posts of late. Whilst typically that has meant I’ve been busy creating something fresh and exciting, this time my absence has simply been because life got in the way. A series of events and the commencement of new employment (yay!) have made what spare time I now have fairly limited, very precious, and for a short while, quite dull creatively. Somewhere amongst the busyness that life became, my creative beam of light flickered out, and I was left feeling lacklustre and uninspired.
I’m sure for those of you reading whose passions lie within the creative arts realm, you’ll know how disheartening this feeling can be. My spark had escaped me and no matter how hard I looked, or tried, I just couldn’t re-acquaint myself with the fleeting vigour that is creativity.
Having recently read Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book ‘Big Magic’, I thought that the notion of creativity she describes in her book explained my current situation; I hadn’t grabbed that creativity streak when it reached out to me. Having realised this, I knew that the only way I could re-establish my relationship with creativity was to continue about my every day, and have faith in knowing that creativity hadn’t abandoned me and that it would return.
And what do you know? It did just that. Not subtly either or in an expected location. In fact, it happened whilst I was on the train, on the way to Sydney to watch a film documentary at the IMAX. I was feasting my eyes to an old issue of the Collective magazine when I came across an article about a guy named Sebastian Terry, who after losing a close friend realised that life was too precious and short to not at least try and accomplish everything you can. So he wrote a 100-item bucket list and has started working towards ticking each item off. His story had reeled me in and I could feel something within me that I hadn’t felt in a long time – the beginnings of an idea.
Terry’s story had forged a path in my mind, and I wasn’t going to let whatever ideas came to me escape. By the end of the train trip, I had started thinking about what I would add to my bucket list now, and tried to remember what was on the bucket list I had written about ten years ago as an early teenager (sidenote: think things like, see Green Day, see the Spice Girls etc, etc). I let these thoughts continue to float around in my mind as I sat down and watched America Wild – a film documentary that is currently showing at IMAX theatres around the world that I highly recommend seeing! Not even ten seconds into the film and the thoughts of my bucket list stilled. America Wild had caught my attention. I was in a state of awe as images of America’s native parks were being flashed in front of me. These images were not only sparking vivid memories in my mind, by also reminded me of how beautiful the world that we live in is – if only we put ourselves in the way of it. My heart became instantly very happy and I felt like I wanted to cry. Not because I was sad, but because of all of the beauty that is being lost on so many people.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWHGDynB6vk&w=560&h=315]

I left the cinema on a natural high. I had ideas and affirmations flowing around in my head, and I knew that this time, I wasn’t going to let them go. So what ideas did this particular day inspire? It reinstated my love for writing, travel and nature. And got me thinking about bucket lists, what was on mine and how could I tick every one off whilst maintaining a deeper understanding from within. So I started writing out my bucket list. Here it is:
 

1. Work on animal conservation in the Galapagos
2. Finish learning French
3. Live in a French speaking country
4. Do the Annapurna trek in Nepal
5. Trek the Inca Trail
6. Go surfing in El Salvador
7. See the Mayan ruins at Tikal, Guatemala
8. Travel through Central and South America
9. Hang glide
10. Canyoning
11. Visit a hidden beach
12. Drive down route 66
13. Buy a hippie van and road trip around Australia and New Zealand
14. Sleep in an Igloo
15. Go to Burning Man
16. Go to Rainbow Serpent
17. Sleep in a hammock by the sea
18. Learn how to salsa
19. And then dance the night away
20. See Orca’s in the wild
21. See the Northern lights
22. Participate in a triathlon
23. Go to Russia
24. Explore the ancient ruins at Egypt and Jordan
25. Create a motorbike/travel web series with Henry
26. Never stop helping people
27. Publish a book
28. Learn how to SUP
29. Learn to ski
30. Take photography classes
31. Get my diving license
32. Get my motorbike license
33. Swim with humpback whales
34. Swim with dolphins in the wild
35. Learn how to play the mandolin
36. Participate in a musical
37. Be on TV
38. Go to a nude yoga class
39. Get my yoga teacher certificate in India
40. Make art
41. Fly first class
42. Go to circus school
43. Participate in the Mardi Gras parade
44. Get a market stall up and running
45. Be more selfless and more giving
46. Continue to create awareness and work towards change for HIV/AIDS
47. Grow out my armpit hair
48. Learn how to fly a plane
49. Make sure that everyone I love knows it, every day.
50. Do everything on this list for a different charity/cause.

 
 
Since putting this list together, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what charities and causes I could link each activity with, and the ideas I already have make the excited butterflies flutter in my stomach. Of course, the goal is to share each of these adventures with you all online. So for now, lets say cheers; to a happy, safe and spontaneous future!
Whenever you find yourself in a rut, like the one I found myself in, put yourself in the way of beauty and take in the moment without the technology. Let the moment be a special one between you and the world.
Happy Travels,
Kachina.
 
PS: I’d love to know what’s on your bucket list! Let’s share, pop them in the comments 🙂