When I was a 20-year-old college student, I made a list. No one called them “bucket lists” back then, but I jotted down a few goals that I wanted to achieve and places I wanted to go. Many were realized—working on a dude ranch, backpacking through Europe, skydiving—but just as many were not. I still haven’t learned to play the guitar, and the novel I started didn’t make it through chapter one. But the list served its purpose because it got me thinking about what I wanted out of life.
In this issue, we take a deep dive into all of the ways people are finding fulfillment through travel, hobbies, and the causes they care about most deeply. You’ll meet Suzie Kim, who never met a bucket list item she was afraid to tackle; Wendy Green, who started a business to help people achieve their goals in their “boomer” years; and Mike Chibbaro, who wrote the book on Upstate baseball history.
Summer is a great time to hit the road, and we’ve included a few off-the-beaten-path ideas: take in the history of Richmond, Virginia; explore unique finds at Marquee in Asheville; or step into the French Broad with us as we tackle fly fishing, a recent addition to my ever-expanding list.
And that’s the beauty of it. No matter how many items you check off, there are always more adventures to add, waiting just over the horizon.
Do you have a story to share, or a topic you’d like to read about? Let me know at leigh@communityjournals.com.
