The Summer Bucket List

Towards the end of my senior year in high school I made a bucket list of everything I wanted to accomplish over the summer. I wanted to recreate some of the memories I had from my younger years, so I put several items on the list that I had not done in years like to cover my driveway with chalk drawings, buy ice cream from the ice cream man and make a pet rock. I added several challenging tasks to the list that I knew would take more effort like to learn 10 Greek words, run 100 miles, try 20 new foods, and read 25 books. For the rest of the list, I filled a lined piece of paper with random activities I thought would make for some interesting experiences.

I was even able to check off two items on the last Friday of the academic year before the summer technically started. Every year, there is a concert held at my high school, Mercy Benefit. Local bands perform, and there are jewelry and henna artists. It is a very popular event and all the proceeds go to local charities. I used all the supplies I had on hand and made about 20 soda tab bracelets to donate. Thus, I crossed “Make five bracelets” off the list. I also paid for a neat dreamcatcher henna tattoo that covered my entire forearm and crossed that off as well.

Although, I figured I set myself up for an easy success with the open-ended goal to “See fireworks.” My family’s plan to go out on our boat on the Fourth of July was tossed when grey clouds rolled in and it started raining at the docks. We hung out in the cabin of the boat while waiting patiently for the storm to pass. Luckily, it blew over and we were able to launch the boat and watch the Dolan fireworks display from the Long Island Sound. While the show was spectacular, the night ended in a frenzy as claps of thunder sounded in the distance and brilliantly bright streaks of lightning illuminating the black sky. We hurried back to shore and got the boat back on the trailer before we headed home.

It took me about two weeks to finally buy ice cream from the neighborhood ice cream truck. I would sit and read a book in my living room in the afternoon with the windows open, absentmindedly listening for the faint, repetitive music. However, it never seemed to drive by my street. One day, I patiently waited in my yard with money in hand. When it  finally drove down my street, I waved at the driver to flag him down. He responded with a wave back and kept driving. I guess it is not socially acceptable for 17-year-olds to purchase popsicles from the ice cream man. It took several more attempts before I finally got my cookies and cream.

When I stumbled upon a blue rock in my desk drawer, likely purchased from some museum gift shop ages ago, I decided to make a pet rock. I bought some googly eyes from the local craft shop and glued them on. Then, I used some leftover puff paint to make a little pink smile. I decided to name it Jacque the Rock and then proceeded to put it in my backpack so it could travel with me for the rest of the summer. I was feeling particularly creative that day, so I also to bury a high school time capsule. I took an old plastic container from the kitchen and labeled it with orange and red markers. I filled it with some photos and trinkets from high school like a spare ID card and some movie tickets. I wrote out a list of my current favorite things and my plans and aspirations for the future and put those in as well. Honestly, I don’t remember everything I put in the capsule, but I suppose that is a testament to the fact that the contents are going to be a complete surprise when I open it up again in the future.

When I started drawing with chalk on my driveway, I finished a peace sign, a tree, and a small swirled pattern before I ran out of ideas. So, I recruited my young neighbors to help me finish the project. They were eager to help. We had a blast drawing monsters, cars, streets, smiley faces and stars. The finalized creation was so colorful and creative that I had to take pictures to document the art.

One Sunday in July, my mom and I woke up at the crack of dawn and drove to Jones Beach to catch the sunrise. It finally started to get light as we parked the car. We walked to the shoreline and moved the lifeguard stands so they faced the direction of the orange glow. Then, we climbed up the stands to wait for the golden ball of light to ascend into the sky. It looked like a vibrant explosion of pink, orange, yellow and white.

One of my funniest ideas was to “Intentionally eat dessert before dinner.” It’s minor, but the little things are sometimes just as important. I went with a friend to a local ice cream parlor, Herrell’s Ice Cream, and we ordered our ice cream dessert. I had the Purple Cow flavor which is much tastier than the name lets on. It’s black raspberry with dark and white chocolate pieces. Afterwards, we went out for Indian food which was one of the 20 new foods I would try over the summer. I sampled vegetable biryani, vegetable samosa and peshwari nan. I’m normally a picky eater, but I had to ignore my cautious instincts and keep an open mind.

I was headed on a cruise vacation to Italy and Greece in mid-July, so that was the inspiration for my goal to learn at least 10 Greek words. I made one of my friends who happens to be fluent in Greek to tutor me. She kindly wrote out useful words like “parakalo” which means “please” and “efharisto” which means “thank you.” I also bought a purple Lonely Planet phrasebook to study up before the trip.

While I thought “Survive 24 hours without a cell phone and the Internet” was going to be the hardest item to cross off the list, the aforementioned vacation made it very easy to hit two birds with one stone. Basically, my cell phone had zero service on the cruise ship. Plus, I realized I did not actually want to spend a fortune on Internet usage, so I ended up lasting about 3 weeks without texting and my beloved Facebook and Instagram. Instead, I spent time working towards my goal of finishing 25 books. My favorite book I finished was Temporary Sanity by Rose Connors. On our days at sea, I spent time just sitting in my room reading the book. As cliché as it sounds, it was one of those books I couldn’t put down.

Of all my accomplished summer activities, I am most proud that I ran 100 miles. It really reaffirmed my love of running. I get a rush of adrenaline every time I lace up my sneakers. I mapped out a 3-mile loop in my neighborhood and ran it at least five times per week. I ended up finishing the last bit on a treadmill on the cruise ship. Crossing this off my list gave me a sense of reassurance that I can do absolutely anything. I felt invincible.

Admittedly, there were some things on my list that proved impossible to complete. I wanted to visit the Vanderbilt Planetarium which I used to go to quite often as a child. However, it was closed this summer for refurbishment. I was also not able to watch the Summer Olympics because it was going on while my family and I were on the cruise.

Ultimately, I completed 17 of the 25 things on my list. I did not want the summer to come to an end. I tend to be a competitive person so I felt significantly satisfied that I completed so much of the activities on my bucket list over this past summer. I was overjoyed with my achievement, as well.

Samantha Delle can be reached at samanthadelle@aol.com.