2013 Bucketlist Item 13: Aviation

I love aviation...I mean I LOVE aviation. My girlfriend and I make every effort to attend the annual EAA Fly-in event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which has stoked this passion for both of us. In attending these air shows, we have met so many wonderful people that have introduced us to so many great and powerful ways that aviation can be used. It boggles my mind each year I attend of how much of a difference this private, passionate, air force provides.

Some of the tasks these pilots have accomplished were volunteering to fly supplies into disaster areas, flying supplies to remote relief efforts or in support of missionary work being done in places that most of us has not heard of. The inspiration that we draw from these pilots is fantastic. 

Flight lessons and flight school is expensive...too much for our budget at the moment. I have found different things I can do until the time comes for flight school. Joining the EAA is priority one, followed by devouring flight school manuals, stories about flying, and any flying publications that I can find. I did this quite a bit in the past, but in recent years have dropped it for some reason. 

This is a passion that I no longer wish to suppress, and am going to encourage this in myself this year to fan the flames of passion for aviation.

2013 Bucketlist Item 12: Shameless Self Promotion

A must as I continue to immerse myself into the freelance writing arena and as I move forward with my first book. The more people that are aware of my brand, the easier it will be to get what I write out there. Pretty simple…but yet not so much so.

Getting your name out there and promoting is a must do for anyone trying to get their art out there, no matter what the art it is that you are creating. It is also one of the hardest tasks on the list, and most art minded people I have come across would love to stay far away from marketing and invest their time in their work.

What is the best way to balance the demands of marketing and self-promoting with the time needed to create the actual art that you are working to promote? I am finding that so far, I tend to swing wildly from one direction to the other. I want this to be the year that I find that balance I have been working diligently to achieve.

2013 Bucketlist Item 11: Continue to Frequent the Little Guy

This is something that was started last year that I wish to continue expanding on this year. Almost all of the food, like 90-95%, is purchased from local stores from local farms and food product makers. There is a rare exception where something is needed that does not come from this area, which has made shopping and eating an incredible experience. Add in a CSA for a weekly bushel full of goodies, and we are all set.

There are still improvements to be made, and in seeking goods that are made locally or by the “little guy”, I hope to improve furthering my disconnection from the big boy chain stores and keeping my dollars locally to give to those that truly deserve them.

2013 Bucketlist Item 10: Master Polish

I have been slowly gaining proficiency in Polish over the past several years, and this year I am kicking into overdrive. In addition to classes, I am looking to use and practice Polish in more situations than I do now. This includes learning more of the grammar and of course, increasing vocabulary. Hmm…maybe next year’s list will all be in Polish?

2013 Bucketlist Item 9: STC

Next up on my bucketlist is actually one of the things on this list I am most excited about…participating in the starting and growing of a dream that my friend, Sadiqua Hamdan, is passionately and vigorously bringing to life. STC, or Sharp Thinking Communications (http://www.sharpthinkingcommunications.com) is one of the more unique, focused, and cutting edge companies out there that will bridge many cultural gaps between people and businesses. In raising awareness of Middle East and Western dealings, customs, and business practices, STC will contribute to a the global trend of higher awakening in both knowledge and spirit. 

2013 Bucketlist Item 8: Increase Spiritual Pursuits

I almost feel like this one is sort of like cheating; something that I have been doing for a while and already have in progress this year. As I think more about it, I’m thinking that maybe it is not so much cheating as it is taking things to another level.  This year begins with my Reiki attunement…by the end of this weekend I will be at a Reiki II level.  What is really cool about this is that the six months I need to wait for Reiki III will fall exactly on my 40^th birthday. Talk about synchronicity. 

Meditations have been becoming more intense and fruitful as many of the mysterious curtains in life are being drawn back, reveling all sorts of wonderful things.  This is going to be an exciting year on this level, and I already have a couple of ideas to write about for posting here.

2013 Bucketlist Item 7: Spend FiveDays A Month In Nature...Unplugged

"Unplugged" is the key word for this item. We take walks, go on picnics, and pause to admire…the latest posts on Facebook or the Tweets of those that we follow. STOP!

When in nature, you are there to what class? That’s right….you are there to connect with nature. I am just as guilty as anyone else. A lunchtime stroll in nature almost always has me glancing at my phone at least once, which is all it takes to pretty much undo all of the nature bonding that has been done to that point.

When we feel the need to be around nature, it is because of their spirit is calling us there. We lose too much off ourselves in modern life, and rarely put forth the effort in making that necessary connection in nature. Nature is the best recharger of the soul that exists; it is much better than any drug, TV show, or Facebook post. Nature will cleanse your soul while your conscious mind starts to notice the subtle things of the world around you. Think about it; after a hike, I bet you notice far more detail in everything around you. You probably also will notice yourself reaching for a book when you get home instead of the remote or your laptop.

This year I am going to make this connection a regular visitor in my life by spending at least five days of the month in nature.  The growth of my spirit, and hence the growth of my “me”, depends on it.

2013 Bucketlist Item 6: Review an Indie Writer's Book...At Least 6 This Year

As you have probably seen recently here on the blog (and if you haven't you really should check out my post on indie writers), I have become a huge fan of indie writers thanks primarily to connections made on Twitter. While checking out other authors on Twitter to network, I discovered that so many of them were all independently published and doing it successfully. I have read a couple of indie books since then, and they were some of the most incredible pieces of writing I have read in a longtime.  I want to do my part and promote some of them by writing full, in depth reviews of their books...at least six of them this year anyway. It is very helpful that all of the books I have looked at are available in the Kindle store, so I can read them at my leisure.

I feel this will help to further promote all of the talented, great, indie authors out there and get some of these great works in front more eyes.  

2013 Bucketlist Item 5: Read At Least One Book Every Three Weeks

Given how fast I read, I should be able to accomplish this with relative ease. As I look at indie authors, non-fiction topics, as well as my own spiritual growth and book writing project, I will really need to stick with this goal. It is easily obtainable. 

I took a step back recently to see where my time was being used, and found that I was being far too inefficient in coordinating activities, chores, work tasks, etc. By figuring out the time, I have found about 45 minutes a day in which my time could be better used. Of course, there is still the small matter of sticking with it...