The Bucket List

"1. Go to a club alone and dance as though no one's watching." Reading the first item on the list I look towards the entrance of the club with trepidation while recalling why am I here in the first place. It was just another normal day for me when an elite lawyer arrived at my doorstep bringing along with him the last will of an aunt I've never even heard of before. Other than being related by blood we are basically strangers who's paths have never crossed yet I was named as the sole inheritor of her entire wealth.

Something I thought only happened in movies actually happened to me but before I could enjoy its benefits a condition was placed before me. That is... To finish her bucket list. And the first item on the list had me stumped. Going to a club alone and having a fun time seems easy but for a person suffering from minor social anxiety it is tough. Every minute I spend standing in front of this club my desire to flee increases. But if I let my fear stop me, miss out on this amazing opportunity, I'll regret it forever.

Hence gathering whatever leftover courage I had I began walking towards the entrance. The fear of what will people say or think had me stopping quite a few times but i finally entered the club. Slowly at the pace of snail I made my way to one corner of the dance floor. The song being played by the dj was my favorite but my anxiety wouldn't let me dance freely. So there I was awkwardly dancing trying my best to supress my presence on the floor when this beautiful girl suddenly appears in front of me. Giving me a goofy smile she started out busting some really embarrassing & funny moves that I couldn't help but laugh. The atmosphere around her was so infectious that before I knew it I had already let my self go and started dancing like crazy along with her. By the time night ended I completed the first item on the bucket list and made a new friend. This achievement made me experience a high I've never felt before. Even after the night ended I still couldn't find it in me to believe that I did that. Not just that but I also became friends with a complete stranger. A person I've never met before this. Somehow this gave a massive boost in confidence and I looked forward to completing rest of the items.

Hence I soon started completing aunt Reira's bucket list eager to see what new experience it will bring me.

With that I learnt Taekwondo for a month, which was quite a painful experience but I managed to increase my stamina and get in a really good shape. Then I made an Instagram reel, which came as quite the surpise to all my friends and family who know that I would have never even had the thought of making something like this before. Along with it I got a lot of encouragement and appreciation for it which honestly felt really nice. Next I had to go go on a safari....alone!! For a person who yet can't go to a doctor's appointment by herself this was a huge step. But the thought of that prize waiting for me in the end kept pushing me on. And so I went on a safari by myself, being responsible for all my things and seeing those beautiful creatures. This journey helped me become independent and capable of handling big tasks. Next one was asking out a stranger for coffee, this took a lot of energy out of me. If it was the me before I started this list I definitely would've chickened out but now at the end of it I made a new friend who could possibly become something more for me. The next one brought out a lot of old memories, confessing to an old crush saying that you had once liked them as kids. This helped me reconnect with my old friends and catch up on all of them. Plus finally confessing to my childhood crush made me feel as though the 23 year old me fulfilled the wish of the 10 year old me. Now I actually became good friends with my crush. Learning how to ride a horse, scuba diving, learning a new language, adopting a pet from the shelter, riding a rollercoaster, etc, I completed them all. Somehow each and every item on the list taught me something and helped see a new world. And the exhilaration felt at the end of it all was something I can't put into words.

With this I finally completed each and every item on aunt Reira's bucket list and inherited her massive wealth. Along with it she left me a letter with only a single sentence in it, 'I hope this helped you.' That's it, nothing else just a letter with that single line. I didn't think much of it at first and thought she was talking about her wealth. But after settling in her house I learnt quite a bit about this aunt of mine. She too had social anxiety and maybe her situation was worse than mine. But unlike me who was able to overcome it through these tasks maybe she wasn't and died regretting it. That's why maybe she wanted someone to do them for her and that's why it was put in her will. Having solved the mystery behind that unusual condition of hers I cheerfully started sorting about my things at one of the housed I inherited.

While sorting I came across that letter of hers again and suddenly this strange thought came to mind. If it wasn't because of that condition of completing her bucket list to inherit her wealth I wouldn't be the person I am today. Instead I would still have been the person whose flight response triggers at the first sign of engaging in a social situation. Maybe she set up that bucket list not because of her regrets but to help me learn to truly live life and not miss out on opportunities because of fear. Her wealth was just an enticement, so as to give me the push needed to take that step. Maybe this was her way of guiding and helping me in the only way she could have thought of, because she could see the shadow of herself in me and didn't want me to walk down the same path. Maybe that's why I was chosen as her heir and not anyone else.........or it may just be my wishful thinking?