So, 2018. That year. I remember feeling like I was just… drifting, you know? Work, home, sleep, repeat. Something had to give. I wasn’t looking for some massive life overhaul, just a bit more, well, living. That’s how this whole “bucket list 2018” idea even popped into my head. It wasn’t some grand vision, more like a scribbled note on a napkin kind of beginning.
Getting it Down on Paper
I sat down one Saturday morning, coffee in hand, and just started jotting things down. No rules, no judgment. Some were tiny, like “try that new coffee shop downtown.” Others were a bit more ambitious. I remember thinking, “Am I really going to do any of this?” My initial list was a bit all over the place, honestly. I think it looked something like this at first:
- Learn to bake decent bread (not the brick-like kind).
- Actually visit a place I’ve only seen in pictures.
- Read more books that aren’t work-related.
- Try to get a bit fitter, maybe.
- Finish that half-painted spare room.
Yeah, a real mixed bag. But it was my list. That felt important.
The Great Sourdough Saga
Okay, so “learn to bake decent bread.” I zeroed in on sourdough. Seemed like a proper challenge, right? Everyone on the internet made it look so easy, so rustic and charming. Ha! Let me tell you, my kitchen looked like a flour bomb had gone off for weeks. My first starter? Died a sad, smelly death. My second one… well, it bubbled, eventually. The first loaf I baked, I swear, you could have used it as a doorstop. Or a weapon. It was dense, it was sour (but not in a good way), and it was deeply, deeply disappointing.
I almost gave up. I really did. I complained to my friend, Sarah, about it, and she just laughed and said, “What did you expect? It’s practically a science experiment!” She wasn’t wrong. But I’m stubborn. So, I kept at it. Reading more, watching videos, tweaking things. Lots of trial and error. Mostly error, for a good while. Then, one day, a loaf came out… okay. Not amazing, but edible. Actually, kind of tasty. The crust was decent! That small win felt huge. It wasn’t about becoming a master baker; it was about sticking with something frustrating and finally getting a little bit of a payoff. That sourdough journey taught me more about patience than anything else that year.
Adventures in the Great Outdoors
Then there was “visit a place I’ve only seen in pictures.” I’d always wanted to see some proper mountains, not just hills. So, I picked a National Park. Planning it was half the fun, but also a bit of a headache. Booking campsites, figuring out trails, packing – it’s work! We (I dragged my partner along for this one) finally got there, and wow. Pictures just don’t do it justice, do they? We weren’t doing any extreme hiking, mind you. Just some moderate trails. One day, we got a bit lost. Not dangerously lost, just “hmm, this doesn’t look like the map” lost. There was a moment of mild panic, then a lot of map-staring, and eventually, we found our way back, laughing about it later. It’s those little unexpected moments, isn’t it? The air was so fresh, and it just felt good to be away from screens and city noise. We didn’t conquer any massive peaks, but we came back feeling refreshed. That was the point, I guess.
The Rest of the List… Sort Of
As for the other stuff? The “read more books” thing went okay. I didn’t hit a specific number, but I definitely read more for fun than I had in ages. It was nice to get lost in stories again. The “get a bit fitter” one was more of a mixed bag. I started a Couch to 5K thing, got a few weeks in, then life happened, and it fizzled out. Classic. I didn’t beat myself up about it though. Some things stick, some don’t. The spare room? Well, let’s just say it remained “artistically half-painted” for most of 2018. You can’t win ’em all.
Looking Back at 2018’s Experiments
So, when December rolled around, did I tick off every single thing on that list? Nope. Not even close for some. But you know what? That bucket list wasn’t really about a perfect score. It was about nudging myself out of that rut. It was about trying, about the process. Some things were a success, some were a learning experience (that’s a polite way of saying “a bit of a failure”), and some just didn’t happen. And that was fine.
What I really got out of it was the reminder that it’s good to be intentional, even in small ways. It made the year feel a bit more memorable, a bit more mine. It wasn’t about massive achievements; it was about the small acts of doing. I didn’t become a new person, but I did bake some (eventually) edible bread and see some amazing mountains. And sometimes, that’s more than enough.
