The concept of living without hesitation is a big one. It’s dynamic for each person and was a common theme throughout my childhood; so was traveling. In my head, I established that living without hesitation meant doing and trying at least once, but it’s definitely cooler if you do those things in different places.

I think I read the Importance of Being Earnest in my Freshman year of college after a series of life events lead me to critically evaluate how I was intending on living my life without hesitation. While this quote is not in context, there’s something about Lady Bracknell’s snappy comment that stuck with me because I felt as if it was true, especially given my circumstances. Hesitating about opportunities and unique experiences left me feeling stunted and in a spiral I could only possibly explain via the presence of some sort of curse.

The same year for Christmas, my mom gave me the book 1000 Places to See Before you Die and a metal tin called “the bucket list.”