My Bucket List

Brendan Bond

1. Cross-country roadtripEver since junior high, one of my life goals has been to take a cross-country roadtrip, whether to baseball stadiums, to national parks, sleeping every night in a city from A-Z or any other theme I can think of. I want to be able to see America from coast to coast. I'll sleep out under the stars. From stopping at diners in small towns to taking in the sites in the biggest cities, this is something I have planned to do for a long time.

2. Publish bookI enjoy writing. Always have. I wrote my first short story when I was five. Back then, my dad had a position where he would be gone some weekends. When he was gone, I would write and illustrate stories for him. It's fair to say my artistic abilities did not grow, but I have always enjoyed writing and one day want to get published, whether it's a series of short stories or a long novel.

3. Get married and raise a family

I've always wanted to someday get married and raise a family. There's no timetable on when that will happen. I know people who married in their early twenties and have a happy, healthy marriage, and the same for people who were in their forties when they married. Just someday, I would like to be with that person who I know is the one and who I would want to raise a family with.

4. Go StormchasingThis is something I've always longed to do, since I've always been fascinated by severe weather. One of the biggest thrills I could have in my life would be to watch a tornado drop out of the sky, move along the ground and then dissipate. There are very few things I would do in my life that have that "brush-with-death" feel, but this would be one of them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdnPwTF4CAQ

5. Win journalism awardI plan on making journalism my career, so it would make sense that I want to someday be recognized for being successful at it. The highest honor a journalist can win is the Pulitzer Prize. It's a lofty goal but I want to shoot high. I either want to someday win that, or the National Sportswriter of the Year Award. Or both. Regardless, someday I would like to be acknowledged as someone who is successful in the world of journalism.

6. Learn to scuba diveI enjoy any activity that has to do with the water. Swimming, tubing, jet-skiing, white-water rafting, kayaking. The list goes on. But there is one thing I have never done that I have always wanted to do. That is to scuba dive. For a long time when I was younger I wanted to be a marine biologist; I still have that interest in water and marine life. My dad learned how to scuba in college. My aunt and uncle are certified and go to tropical places for dives all the time. The closest I've been to scuba diving was snorkeling and I've heard scuba is even more fun than that.

7. Visit all 50 statesI've been fortunate that through 21 years on this earth so far, I've been to a lot of the United States. Currently, basing it on whether I have stayed the night or the better part of a day there, I am up to 25, not including the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. That doesn't include states that I've driven through. My goal is to one day say that I've visited all 50 states. I'm halfway there.

8. Coach my kids' sports teamsThis is something my dad did with my little brother and me. He coached our teams, regardless if it was basketball, baseball, soccer or track. He always helped out and that was valuable time for me. I know I would enjoy coaching at any level, but for now I want to be able to coach my future kids' teams. It doesn't matter what sport they play. I'll be more than willing to volunteer and help out to spend the time with them.

9. Become my own bossMy dad, being a dentist, has been his own boss ever since he started his practice. He can set his hours and he's the one calling the shots and making the choices. That's something that someday appeals to me. Whether it's as a writer, a successful freelancer or as an entrepreneur starting my own business, someday I want to have the power of setting my own hours and not always having to answer to someone. I know that's a long time and lots of hard work away from now, but it's a nice goal to shoot for.

10. Be HappyIt may seem like a cop-out answer, but I truly agree with the John Lennon quote. One of my goals in life is to be happy. In fact, I feel like that's the purpose of life. What I want other people to remember me as is someone who worked hard but was always able to put a smile on their face. But how can I put a smile on someone else's face if I can't put one on my own? That's why I believe being happy deserves a place on my bucket list.