I first got introduced to the concept of an Anti-Bucket list earlier this year and found it a lot easier to name many things I either refuse to or will do my best to avoid before I kick the bucket. In my opinion, this list is less complex to create as it allows me to take some of the things I have experienced or seen, and apply them to my desire to undergo such events again. Though my list is extremely long, I decided to condense it to highlight 10 of the semi-funny list items that I refuse to do, either through experience or my version of common sense.

#1: Go Skydiving 

It is honestly so amazing to me that human beings willingly throw themselves out of moving planes in the sky… FOR FUN. I understand that adrenaline rushes are fun and addicting, but rollercoasters seem like safer options.

#2: Use 3 in 1 Shampoo 

I used to think that 2 in 1 shampoo was a myth, but then I saw its product, as well as a 3 in 1 wash bottle at an AirBnB I was staying out this summer. My acne-prone skin is very particular about what kind of soap product touches it, so if I ever used 3 in 1 wash on it, it would definitely scream back at me in the form of multiple pimples and pustules. Using the same soap I use in my hair, ON MY BODY is an absolute no-no.

#3: Get Thrown Up On 

Emetophobia is defined as the fear of throwing up. I have not been diagnosed with this phobia, but there is a strong emphasis on the “YET” factor of this. I can guarantee though, that if an individual were to ever throw up either near or on me… the next logical thing for me to do, would be to legitimately kick the bucket.

This item connects to my next anti-bucket list item which is….

#4: Thrown Up on Someone or in Public

This item, combined with the fact that I may have Emetophobia, focuses on the fact that I would be extremely embarrassed and absolutely yucked out.

Never been there, hopefully will next have to do that.

#5: Speak in Front of an Entire Lecture Hall… Alone 

In my many years of attending school, combining elementary, middle, secondary, and post-secondary schooling, public speaking has never been my strong suit. Just having to speak in Tutorials always has my heart racing the majority of the time. Therefore, the action of speaking in front of many more students as well as faculty leads to an act that I would gladly skip out on in this lifetime.

#6: Eat Blue Cheese (again) 

I am one of the biggest fans of cheese. It is very rare for me to not like any kind of cheese (it is even currently on my phone’s Lock Screen). So when I first heard of blue cheese, I could not think the worst about it… until I tried it. I am going to be completely honest and say that I felt 100% disrespected by the people who praised the deliciousness of blue cheese. Its taste reminded me of the time my friend accidentally sprayed perfume in my mouth in secondary school, definitely not yummy. I refuse to categorize blue cheese as part of the cheese family, and SpongeBob would agree with me (I really hope you know what episode I am referring to).

#7: Go Cave Diving 

My explanation for this item is simple, short, and sweet. This activity sounds like a plot to a horror movie. I will gladly pass on this.

#8: Swim with Sharks 

If you happened to read my previous blog on my trip to Toronto, you will remember that I stated that I did not know how to swim. Therefore, participating in something that I can not do, with an animal that could very much and easily tear me to shreds, is not something that I would be excited to ever take part in.

#9: Eat the World’s Hottest Pepper 

There is this condition that I got diagnosed with when I was younger called “geographic tongue.” This condition mainly leaves people with interesting marks and patterns on their tongues. Additionally, at least I believe, possessing a geographic tongue entails that our taste buds are a lot more sensitive compared to the tongue of a person without its condition. Therefore, consuming spicy things is a painful act to take part in as my experience participating, and crying, in the spicy noodle challenge was able to demonstrate. Eating the World’s Hottest Pepper sounds like torture and something that I will never do.

#10: Settle for Anything that I am unhappy with 

This last item is a little less on the funny side, and purposefully vague as it allows me to incorporate aspects such as relationships, jobs, education, residence, and more to its main theme. I believe that one’s self-love, self-care, and mental well-being can all improve through moving away or distancing oneself from negative attributes. Never settle for less, never settle for unhappiness.