How technology in my pocket helped cross off a bucket list item
Technology can certainly make your life much easier, but a couple years ago it helped me cross off my top bucket list item. Back in the fall of 2018, I was in Sacramento, California, traveling for work which required an overnight stay. My co-worker and I booked at separate hotels, and she dropped me off where I was staying so I could get checked in before dinner. As I waited in the lobby, I noticed a man standing behind me and he had a company logo on his bag and shirt. Since I love to meet new people, I struck up a conversation with him and said that I noticed the logo and was going to venture a guess that he worked for this particular company. Not surprisingly, he replied that he was in fact an employee, and we started chatting.
My enthusiasm immediately increased as I explained to my new hotel lobby friend how I have been a huge fan of his company since I was a toddler, literally since I was three years old. As an adult, I had a birthday cake bearing the company symbol, so I pretty much have a lifelong obsession. At this point, he was probably either impressed or terrified, but he humored me and kept listening to my stories. Once I calmed down a bit, a very small bit, I explained how I keep my bucket list in Microsoft OneNote and that is how I keep track and add new items to the list. He had not used OneNote before so I had to give him the rundown on how it is an amazing program that functions as a digital three ring binder where you can keep notes, save things like receipts and screenshots, and organize everything just like an old-school Trapper Keeper. As I am giving this impromptu tutorial, I open OneNote on my phone and show him item number one on my “Steph’s Bucket List” which was ride on the Goodyear Blimp!
After about a 15-minute exchange of conversation, he handed me his business card and told me to stay in touch. For the next six months or so, I dropped a friendly email every so often just to stay at the top of mind. Rides on the Blimp, which is technically now an Airship, are very hard to get. I had been trying for decades, and there was no way I was going to let this opportunity slip away. Then in May of 2019, at almost 5pm on a Wednesday, my phone rang. Turns out that there was a seat open last minute and if I could get to the Airship Base in time, I would get my ride. Let’s just say that there might have been a few traffic infractions during the 42-mile drive through Los Angeles traffic at rush hour. I arrived with about two minutes to spare, scribbled my name on a waiver, and boarded the Goodyear Airship. For the next hour as we cruised over Long Beach, I asked about a million questions of the flight crew, took non-stop photos, and I am not ashamed to say shed a tear or two. A dream of a lifetime came true that day, all thanks to that OneNote list and having technology in my pocket.
OneNote helped make my dreams come true. Keep your bucket list in your pocket too. Download the OneNote app on your phone (it’s free), hit the plus sign to add a new page, give it a title, and start taking notes. It is that easy!
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