Bucket Half Full
I hope you had a great Columbus Day Weekend! I, for one, had an epic (family!?!) weekend in Las Vegas. This trip reinforced the importance of actively seeking new experiences. I first starting hearing the ubiquitous term Bucket List after Rob Reiner directed Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman in the movie The Bucket List. Nicholson and Freeman (both terminally ill) decide before they 'kick the bucket' they should complete a list of things they want to see and do before they die. Now Bucket List has come to be part of everyday lexicon and has taken on a less melancholy feel; even President Obama used the term at the White House Correspondent's Dinner. Part of The Loupe is avoiding the mundane and getting out there and trying new experiences. So, this week I encourage you to fill your buckets and get in the Loupe!
First things first...you need to create a Bucket List! So, how do you go about creating your Bucket List? Sure, you can look at your friend's social media sites (but what if your friends are just not that interesting)? You can read travel blogs, or the papers, and keep a running list. Of course you can always go to theloupe.info as I expand the content! Or, much easier ... you can download the iWish app. This app has many more features for creating and pursuing your goals (dreams), but I find it particularly useful for travel and leisure. They have great ideas for places to go and things to see while there. You can even create you own bucket list and check off the things that you already did. I personally like to use my Wunderlist, but feel free to explore the app which will open even the most seasoned traveler's eye and mind. You too will want to walk through the tunnel of Lights on the Island of Nagashima.
THE RISE FESTIVAL
Valley of Fire Highway and I-15, Moapa, NV 89025
Mojave Desert, NV
One item on my daughter's bucket list (at 15, she already has one!) was The Rise Festival. I was completely unaware of it, but as you should know by now, I was a willing participant. So with our friends (shout out to the Lichts) we headed into the vast and open Mojave Desert about 40 miles from Vegas. The Rise Festival on its surface is simply an outdoor concert where participants are given a mat to picnic on and a lantern to light and launch. As you penetrate the layers it is so much more and I was proud to participate. The first problem with large gatherings of people (collectivism) is usually the logistics, meaning getting in and getting out; this was not an issue here as location is not near anything else, there is ample parking, and everything is very relaxed. No lines, no hassles. We presented our tickets and were given mats to sit on, pens to write with, and lanterns to launch. There is a circular stage in the middle of circular seating (really just torches) where people set up their mats. Everyone is writing, drawing, and generally emoting their feelings on to the lanterns that they will launch. This was a great soulful moment for myself and the people I went with; really an opportunity to acknowledge, remember, hope, and celebrate. At the prescribed time, the MC gave brief instructions and everyone collectively launched their lanterns at the same time. To say this sight is incredible actually undersells how powerful and pure the beauty was --- their mantra 'together we rise' we experienced spiritually and visually. We just stared into the sky and took in the beauty of this collective gesture. There are apparently others through out the country, but this one was my first and very bucket worthy!
I look forward to sharing Bucket list items in the future ... I'm been checking mine off as we speak. Night in the Ice Hotel, check! Slot canyons, check! Sydney on New Years, check! Married by Elvis, check! Consider yourself in the Loupe, your bucket half full, and iWish and The Rise Festival Found!