Assignment 18 – Dilni Abeyrathne

           Bucket lists—endless possibilities that scream adventure. Some are small, some are large, but all excite our hearts. For me, the notion of bucket list is somewhat foreign. Thinking of all I want to do in the future seems a daunting task, but nonetheless, I have some things in mind for the life ahead of me.

First comes high school. I cannot decide upon a single thing as coming first; instead I have two. The first thing on my list is to maintain my grades to a level that is satisfactory to me. High school for me is a time for learning as much as I can and maintaining my grades to my expectations. Perhaps that seems a bit narrow-minded but I prefer to work now rather than later. There is no time like the present! Academics aside, the second thing is spending some meaningful time with my long-time friend, by which I mean something that we will remember for a long time. Ever since I first came here, that friend has always been there for me, and for that I am eternally grateful. Through thick and thin we have gone through, yet we still remain friends. That, I consider an accomplishment. As such, before I finish high school, it would be in my best interest to do something meaningful together.

Second—college. College seems so far away, and generating the single most thing I would love to do before I finish it seems almost impossible. However, I do have a notion. As of now, the first thing on my bucket list before I finish college is to maintain good grades and earn the highest degree I can. If it wasn’t apparent already, academics are extremely important to me. I would like to keep a focus on that in college and meet my expectations for my academic performance. In addition, education was a reason for my family’s coming to the U.S. and I will not throw away those intentions.

Third comes life. This one is the most daunting by far, but I nonetheless have two things that I would most certainly wish to do before my life is complete. The first thing is finally going back to my own country. Yes, I know, it seems too soon a thing for it to be considered as first and foremost on the bucket list for life, but for me, it is an action that calls to me every day. Living in the U.S. has certainly been enjoyable, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t homesick. I may live in the U.S. now, but it is not my true home. My true home rests with my family, most of whom are in Sri Lanka. Of course, my immediate family and I do visit from time to time, every two years to be exact, but it seems too fleeting, too fast. In my country, families, including extended, are very tight-knit. As such, it is not uncommon for me to feel the longing to see my family again. Every two years is too long a time to go without seeing them, and the inevitable goodbye when I do see them bring my eyes to tears. At the moment, it is impossible for my family to go back forever, due to the situation with education. Unfortunately, that’s a desire that will have to wait until years later, when both my brother and I complete college. When college is complete for both of us, I will finally be able to go back, and I plan to. I don’t despise living here, but it is not home. I am tired of waiting so long to see my grandmothers, cousins, and relatives; of not being able to be there with them; of living two oceans away. Someday, the chance will come, and on that day, I will grasp it in my desperately longing hand.

 

My second wish is to do something meaningful for the Earth. Ever since my youngest days, I have had a fascination with nature and its glory. That fascination has not dimmed; instead, it has become a blazing fire in my heart. Seeing the lovely Earth in its present state makes me miserable, to say in the least. It is being destroyed—forests chopped down, animals hunted to extinction, oceans devastated. There is too little nature around us, and that is being demolished as well. It pains me to see the harsh reality that our wonderful, life-giving Earth suffers. For millions of years, it has provided its inhabitants with food, water, and protection from the harmful rays of the distant sun. It has given much, but what has it received in return? Nothing sort of total suffering. I can’t bear to see it, to see this beautiful Earth suffer at the hands of those it nourished for thousands of years. As such, I want to make a change to that situation. Before my life is complete, I wish to do something to aid this ailing Earth, something that will leave it in better condition than its fragile existence right now. The Earth deserves better, and I want to give it that before I am whisked away from it. Even if the action is little, it matters not. What matters is that the environment is left in better shape. This nurturing planet will not survive under the hands of those who care only for themselves. I want to change that, I want to give the Earth a better chance. It is wrong to harm a planet whose nurturing presence is the reason we live today. 

In writing this prompt, I have had some moments to reflect on my desires for life. Perhaps they are to narrow, or perhaps too broad, but all have come from my heart.