Not Alone Series: Single Life Bucket List!

What are those things that you want to do before you get married (or enter the religious life)? Is there anything that you're excited to do, accomplish, etc. before engagement, marriage, and babies come along? Even if you feel that you've done everything you wanted to do pre-marriage, dig deeper and see if there isn't anything else you'd like to do!

If you go on Pinterest and search "bucket list", you'll find a lot of different crazy boards. Some of the pins are silly and (in my opinion) stupid. Like:

umm.....ok? Set your sights high, sista.

or:

I mean, that would be pretty awesome, but since they're an endangered species and all...not very probable.

But hey, I'm not knocking bucket lists, heck, I even have one of my own over on le Pinterest! In fact, I've become a huge fan of goals and lists and deadlines, which is why I'm also a fan of bucket lists! (I just prefer goals that are actually achievable :)

The hard thing with the single life is you don't quite know when it's going to end. At least for my "Before I'm 30..." bucket list, I know I have X number of years to accomplish what I hope to do. For all I know, this time next year I could be engaged. OR I might not meet Mr. Right for several more years.

Either way, I think it's still important to....say it with me: Live in the NOW.
Very good :)

And since we never know what's going to come a year from now, or 2 years from now, etc...why not try to do some of the things we've been desiring to do right now?

That's the point of this bucket list idea...to encourage you to not wait around until you husband arrives to start living. Because I'll tell you what, I hope my future husband is out there living his life and doing things that make him a better person. I don't want him to wait until we find one another to start experiencing life to the fullest!

So here's my list! Some of it overlaps with my list on Pinterest...ah well, it's my single life bucket list, yeah?

1. Take a trip with my siblings and our best family friends.

2. Go on another best-friends-from-college road trip vacation.

3. Take a pottery class.

4. Learn to cook a wider array of meals. (one new per week?)

5. Get into a routine of regular exercise.

6. Go overseas for the first time!

7. Take a road trip by myself!

8. Pay off my student loans. (AHH please before I'm married!!!)

9. Fly somewhere by myself. Eeek!

10. Go on a trip with just my best girlfriends.

11. Take a trip with my sister.

12. Learn to travel like a minimalist (I'm sure my future hubby would appreciate this one :)

I KNOW there are more, but this is a start, eh?

What things to do hope to do while you're still single? Of course, once marriage comes, your life doesn't end, but focusing on where you're at now rather than what is to come God-only-knows-when is much better for you :)

Link up your bucket lists below and check out our next few topics! Thanks to everyone who contributed ideas on the Not Alone Series Facebook Page!

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Next week's topic:

Deal Breakers

We have all thought about our list of qualities for our future spouse (and maybe even religious community), but sometimes those can be pretty limiting on who God has planned for you. Instead, maybe think about the few things that are so important to you, that if a guy you were considering dating (or community you were entering) didn't have those things, you would have to move on. Why are those things important to you? 

April 1st: Beginning of the Year Goals + Lent!
Remember our first post this year? How are the goals you set going? Regardless of how your goals are going, how are you utilizing this Lent to continue to strive for those goals?

April 8th: Do's and Don'ts of First Dates
What are those things that we should be doing, and the things that we shouldn't be doing? They can be from the physical parts (clothes to wear, places to go, things to say) or emotional parts (talking about it all the time, planning the future, etc). We can all learn something in hindsight, so what are your tips to share?

April 15th: Selfish Singles
How do you combat being selfish with your time? As a single person, it's easy to get caught up in our own little independent world. There are those moments when we are needed for extra church things, hanging with our friend's kids, getting caught up with something on the one night you could stay in, etc. where we get frustrated that the needs of others are taking away from our own time. How do you avoid this selfish tendency and what do you do to avoid becoming frustrated with "sharing" you time with others?

April 22nd: Marriage
Most of us here feel called to the vocation of marriage...but what is it exactly that you're attracted to? What have you seen in others' marriages that you've learned from or would do differently? (maybe this is from married friends or your parents!)