My Summer Bucket List

No, I’m not ditching the road map. This summer is gonna be armed and dangerous with a zest to make things happen.  Naks.

Mark those words and foil any haggling.

Spontaneity does not depart my vocabulary.  But I’m not one to skimp on planning either.  And it gets frustrating to a point of resignation whenever I extremely deviate (i.e., not even starting or attempting to start at least ¼ of the list).  And what tops the frustration is when all those brilliant plans go to the backburner – or worse, the dust bin – because of languor (i.e., the disillusionment brought by the second-rate satisfaction of the couch).  Suddenly, it’s more convenient to just lie around the living room and loaf in front of the TV watching DVDs and munching on junk.

Here’s the problem with settling: you eventually regret it because you know that there was something better within your reach (may not be of comfortable distance, but still within).  You look back, heave a heavy sigh and mutter those words of absolute dread, “What a waste!”

So you know where this is heading and it’s heading somewhere.

Borrowing some immortal lines from CS Lewis, “Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is.” I know it’s toooooo tempting to just do nothing whole summer, but hopefully the murk of possible regret will weigh more heavily.

So here’s my bucketful:

1) Learn to ride the bike. Because I can.  Angas much? Yeah, well, to make up for the sad reality that she doesn’t know how to work the gear at 24. Haha.
2) Travel. I don’t care where – well, actually I do – but just lead me some place where I can step back and see life in another perspective.
3) Intern at some law firm (that is, if my schedule permits)
4) Cook.  Or learn how to cook. I started last Christmas and it was a pretty good start – what with a teacher like grandma. :)
5) Surf. This is not top priority. I just recently took an interest when my roommate, who’s not exactly a swimmer, recently learned how to surf.  I mistook this sport as one too tough, but apparently it is pretty learnable.
6) Preach. This one’s easy not because it’s literally easy but because it’s a delight I don’t even have to compel myself to do it. But, it only happens upon invitation.  So God-willing, He’ll let me :)
7) And of course – tandararan! – review Obligations and Contracts. I know what you’re thinking and keep it to yourself! But believe me, this is sanity. I figured I won’t have the luxury to study this foundational prereq of all civil law prereq just months before I take the bar.  And I haven’t exactly taken this course seriously in class so I have to make up for it by self-study.  Plus, as mentioned, it’s a prerequisite to almost all the classes I’m taking next semester. I have to at least exert the extra effort. :)

That’s it. The list’s pretty reasonable, toned down and feasible by common standards. I don’t have any excuse to not achieve at least one.

And a serious tip to the unwary: Don’t be fooled by the equation of rest equals not-doing-anything.  It’s all in the mind.  I have been there- the doing nothing yet feeling more exhausted than ever phase.  So I have integrity to tell you that rest is not exactly tantamount to doing nothing. That’s procrastination and it’s taxing.  One can rest while being busy with stuff that relaxes her mind, calms her heart and makes her happier than normal.

Yeah, trust the expert. Ha-ha.