#86 Write in a periodical
Well Athens, this will be the last story I have for you.
This bucket list item has been 10 weeks in the making, and as you finish this column, No. 86 will be completed. You see, by writing these columns about my bucket list, I am actually completing an item.
It might have been ironic if I hadn’t accepted this position solely for the purpose of scratching this item off my bucket list. I’ve never seen myself as a writer. My grammar ain’t that good — just ask my editor. But as the bucket list demands, it’s the experience that matters.
So what exactly has the experience been? Well first, I’ll state the obvious in that by completing No. 86, I accomplished something I wasn’t sure I would ever do in my life.
During my youth, words were something I read constantly, not something that I articulated. My right-sided brain never showed any attempt at thinking outside the box.
As I grew older, there were several authors I began to follow in my readings. Growing up reading my father’s Sports Illustrated and my own library collections, I always thought of authors as these mythological writing deities who were born to write and had been born with the skill to do so.
The inspiration to pick up a pen I’ll mention in a moment, but I must first say I’m grateful to have the opportunity to write these columns. It truly has been an exciting experience.
What has the experience entailed? Well, I’ve made new friends, such as Bethany Scott, who now has a bucket list and recently completed No. 11 and also helped me in the process of achieving No. 75 “See Sydney.”
But beyond that, it’s the respect from individuals older than myself that’s truly made this a worthwhile experience.
Being only 19 years old and having a road map for what I want to accomplish during my life seems to show that although I may be young, I am a man and I’m going to enjoy this life I’ve been given.
The greatest gift from this experience is the well-placed compliments I’ve received from one of my closest mentors by the name of Paley.
The proudest part I can take from this experience is the legacy I can leave in the life of anyone, who, because of this column, has gone out and made a bucket list. Knowing that I have even minimally changed someone’s life positively is a wonderful feeling.
As I close, I must take the time to thank a few people. First, my past mentor Betty Miller, you truly gave me a voice to which I’ve been able to write faithfully.
To the loving support I’ve received from my family. I know as much as I fight it, my mother will still end up putting these articles in my baby book.
Also, I want to thank all my colleagues in Ohio Army ROTC; your support and input has proven to me over and over again that I am part of the greatest ROTC in the country.
And lastly, thank you, Athens. Without you, this would never have been possible.
So for the last time, I sign off. You stay classy, Athens.
Austin Wyant is a freshman studying international studies and a columnist for The Post. Have you started a bucket list too? E-mail him at aw149110@ohiou.edu.
