I was eating lunch with Becky and Charlotte yesterday and Becky asked me, "Have you written any blog posts recently?" and it was only when Charlotte gave away her true stalking tendencies by reciting the name and date of the last post that I realized I'd been seriously neglecting my wonderful bloglings.
The thing is, though, that I have nothing to say these days; I know writers everywhere say that one shouldn't wait for inspiration because if you do you'll never get anything done, but I'm not a real writer, just a pretentious pretend one, so that doesn't really work for me. So I'm here listening to Glee - yes, I'll admit it. I like Glee. Suck it up. - staring at a copied and pasted post from early April that I never finished and trying to dig up something somewhat interesting to say.
The thing is, though, that I have nothing to say these days; I know writers everywhere say that one shouldn't wait for inspiration because if you do you'll never get anything done, but I'm not a real writer, just a pretentious pretend one, so that doesn't really work for me. So I'm here listening to Glee - yes, I'll admit it. I like Glee. Suck it up. - staring at a copied and pasted post from early April that I never finished and trying to dig up something somewhat interesting to say.
There are a lot of lists floating around regarding things one should do before one finds oneself inconveniently dead. So, taking into account everybody's constant 'Your life is just beginning! You've got plenty of time for all that!', and of course that ridiculous rumour about the world ending today, I thought I'd offer some thoughts of my own on some of the things that people feel are valid pastimes to spend one's life doing.
1. Unless you're one of those irritating irrepressibly hearty types with an enthusiasm for everything (or just very athletic) don't bother with the whole scaling Mount Everest thing. For one thing, it's a mountain. It's a pile of rock. Mountains are incredibly impressive and seriously inspirational for us pretentious writers, but if it's the view you want, there are plenty of mountains around the world which are hooked up to those magical inventions known as cable cars. Saves you the months of intense training and the need to lug an oxygen tank up to the top to counterbalance the thin air.
If it's charity you're doing it for, why bother spending out a ridiculous amount of money to a) train to climb it, b) get your hands on all the equipment, and c) get to a bloody mountain in the first place? I mean, obviously some people are lucky enough to live in a mountainous area, but there aren't many big piles of rock lounging around my part of England just waiting for me to tame them. Just donate the money to charity without all the fuss of scaling a mountain!
2. A lot of people think finding the people who bullied them will give them closure... but that's a load of crap. These people made your life hell for a while! They dented your self-confidence! Why on Earth would you want to go back and thank them for that? Wouldn't you rather see them suffer? Or at least forget about them. Don't go and find your childhood fiends, people. Find your childhood friends instead. The ones you let drift away - but not the ones who didn't bother. Find the people you were sure you had chemistry with, the ones you never told... find the ones you loved, not the ones you hated.
3. Do not go swimming with sharks. Er, hello? Dangerous, guys! I for one don't understand the point of all these life-threatening things-to-do-before-you-die suggestions. An adrenaline rush is an adrenaline rush and if you're looking for one, there's no need to jump around with your arms waving to attract the attention of deadly sea creatures. Just ride a rollercoaster! Easy peasy! Swimming with dolphins, however, sounds like fun. Much less dangerous. I'd definitely try that.
4. Visiting Paris. Paris is lovely, but overrated. It seemed to me to be just like London, but French. There are so many beautiful places and countries around the world that get nowhere near enough attention and exposure - when choosing somewhere to go on holiday, don't just go for the obvious; do a little exploring!
5. Riding white water rapids on a river at the end of which is a big-ass waterfall. This is just plain stupid, people! The buzz would be amazing but imagine the, er, comedown when you reach the end...
So, just so you don't all think I'm a boring sod, here are some suggestions of things I'd like to be able to look back and say I did... or even demonstrate...
1. Fall in love. Preferably with someone who loves me back. Do I really need to expand on this one? Oh, and have children.
2. Learn another language... you all know my stance on languages, so this is a big one for me. It'll be hard and it'll take time but imagine being able to communicate fluently in a language other than your native one! The results are so worth it!
3. Be part of one of those awesome things where loads of people in a big crowd all suddenly break into song and everyone else is like, 'What the hell?'.
4. Be the best you can be at something. I was talking to Lauren the other day about this very subject and she made the very valid point that someone's always going to be better than you, but that means you're always going to be better than someone too. We're all better than someone else because we all have our own special talents, so be the best you can be and don't listen to the haters. They really are just jealous.
5. Live in another country for a while. A month, a year, your entire life - it doesn't matter how long. You'll gain insight into other cultures and consequently the world and humanity like you've never had before.
6. Keep a diary (or a blog, if you're an idiot like me and would rather put all your feelings out there for the world to stumble across). I know it's difficult to remember to write in them but when you look back and read them, it's like finding a chapter you've never seen in a book you've read many times before. This way, you get to see sections of your life the way you'd tell them to others, and maybe it'll help you realize that they weren't all that bad after all (this only works if you don't censor things like I tend to do. But it's hard to be brutally honest when you know anyone in the world in possession of an internet connection has the ability to read your deepest darkest feelings). (Just so you know, I don't censor much, so you're not missing out on anything particularly exciting.)
7. Let someone completely into your life. But make sure you don't take them for granted.
8. Do something that makes you feel like the totally awesome person you are. Write a novel, or perform in a real theatre, or hang your artwork in a gallery, or record a song... know people can see you doing what you do best and enjoy it!
9. Ride some white water rapids. I suggest the French Alps for this (awesome, AWESOME rivers with plenty of rocks and currents but a nice lack of big-ass waterfalls). It's such great fun! Just remember to go with a company and not by yourself, because if you fall out and smash into a rock I'm sure it's not particularly comfortable.
10. Bury a time capsule! But make you sure you leave some kind of clue or it may never be discovered, and that'll be such a shame. Also, write a letter to your grandchildren. Let them know what the world was like back in the olden days of 2011.
So, when the world continues not to end later today, have a think about what you want to look back on when the fateful day arrives. Go for it - who knows? Maybe you'll be one of the few people who actually manage to cross everything off their list!
Molly x
And thank you to Becky, Charlotte, Cora and Zoe, who gave me a bit of insight into the things they want to do before they die. I wish you all the best of luck with following your dreams.
6. Keep a diary (or a blog, if you're an idiot like me and would rather put all your feelings out there for the world to stumble across). I know it's difficult to remember to write in them but when you look back and read them, it's like finding a chapter you've never seen in a book you've read many times before. This way, you get to see sections of your life the way you'd tell them to others, and maybe it'll help you realize that they weren't all that bad after all (this only works if you don't censor things like I tend to do. But it's hard to be brutally honest when you know anyone in the world in possession of an internet connection has the ability to read your deepest darkest feelings). (Just so you know, I don't censor much, so you're not missing out on anything particularly exciting.)
7. Let someone completely into your life. But make sure you don't take them for granted.
8. Do something that makes you feel like the totally awesome person you are. Write a novel, or perform in a real theatre, or hang your artwork in a gallery, or record a song... know people can see you doing what you do best and enjoy it!
9. Ride some white water rapids. I suggest the French Alps for this (awesome, AWESOME rivers with plenty of rocks and currents but a nice lack of big-ass waterfalls). It's such great fun! Just remember to go with a company and not by yourself, because if you fall out and smash into a rock I'm sure it's not particularly comfortable.
10. Bury a time capsule! But make you sure you leave some kind of clue or it may never be discovered, and that'll be such a shame. Also, write a letter to your grandchildren. Let them know what the world was like back in the olden days of 2011.
So, when the world continues not to end later today, have a think about what you want to look back on when the fateful day arrives. Go for it - who knows? Maybe you'll be one of the few people who actually manage to cross everything off their list!
Molly x
And thank you to Becky, Charlotte, Cora and Zoe, who gave me a bit of insight into the things they want to do before they die. I wish you all the best of luck with following your dreams.
