No 81 My bucket list

*As you read this I'll be pootling along somewhere to/in/from Scotland! I'm away for the month of August but shall endeavour to keep in touch (tweet/read and reply to comments) as often as I am able. Thank you for popping by!*

I'm leaving this post until just before the deadline is up because, despite being aware of the subject matter for quite some time now, that's totally how I roll! If you don't already know (and I apologise if you do and have had said competition shoved down your throats more times than you care to discuss) Money Supermarket are holding a 'Bucket List' competition offering a first prize of £1000 to put towards crossing of an item you've listed (or it'll double to £2000 if they receive more than 50 entries!). The idea is to offer one 'budget' bucket list entry and one 'extravagant' budget list entry (known here as the Blow-out entry!). If you'd like to learn more, pop over to the website.

We've also to nominate 3 bloggers we think would be interested in getting involved, so I have chosen:

Nadine

Leah

Kelly

Right, let's go!

Have acupuncture

Doesn't she totally look like she's having lots of fun?!

This is a bit of an odd one as I realise, for many, the idea of having needles stuck into (and left) in ones body would be a nightmarish experience, but it's something I've been interested in trying for a good long while now. I have joint hypermobility syndrome, a condition that causes joints to move beyond the normal range of motion. It's a common problem, often known as double-jointedness, and doesn't necessarily cause problems for those who suffer with it. However, that isn't the case for moi.

I've been aware that something has been wrong with my joints for about 14 years (yup!) yet have only recently been properly diagnosed, mainly thanks to numerous doctors not really understanding the problem/taking me seriously. For me the outcome is daily pain (as a result of my joints doing as they please) which can occur in all manner of areas - hips (my first problem area), back, knees, shoulders, fingers, wrists and ankles - through all manner of activities (and by that I mean laying, sitting, standing and walking, nothing even remotely strenuous).

Back to the acupuncture. I've had, failed, attempts at phsyio (I'm still waiting to be referred, yet again, for even more) and, due to my not really getting on with it, it's been suggested on several occasions that I try acupuncture. However, I've been put on and take off a list again (long story) and everything seems to take such a long time that I'd love to be able to go privately to scrap the worry of waiting. It's not overly costly, roughly £45 for an initial session, but thanks to being a student it's not something I can really afford to do on a whim. I'd love to be able to though because if the result was that it would help me manage my pain better then I'd be able to take the costs of additional treatments into my own hands. I'm just worried abut the initial payout if it then doesn't actually do anything to help.

So, yes, I've been prevented from having acupuncture a) because NHS treatments have fallen through and b) private treatment and a student budget don't mix! What it could mean for me is help to let me learn with my diagnosis and the problems it causes. Pain management is rather hit and miss, so to find something that could cure/lessen my daily ailments would be pretty darn wonderful!

A 'find a career' fund

Apparently this is Career Advice No. 19: A Teacher

This is going to be a bit of an odd one to try and explain. Rather than one big thing, I decided that what I'd like to do is have a 'budget/cash-moneys' pot to put towards trying to find out my dream job.

I am 27 and still have no idea what to do with my life. Like, no actual clue. And that bothers me. On a daily basis. Every so often I think 'Ooooo, what about this?' Or 'Ahhhhh, I could try that out' but more often than not what gets in the way of me trying something out is, unfortunately, the money side of things. As mentioned above, I am a student and because of Summer plans I have been unable to procure a part time job since leaving uni (hopefully this will change once I'm back and settled come September), thus I have nothing to put towards a 'job-finding-fund' to help me find that elusive dream career. I have a few different ideas swirling around in my head - from creative/design focused jobs, for which I'd need knowledge of photography and design programmes etc. which I'd obviously have to pay for as I have no such knowledge now - to interning for a big charity, such as UNICEF, which again comes with it's own costs (travel etc.) - the majority of which would need me to volunteer my services. I'm not sure what would best suit, so to be able to have a fund I can dip into to help work that out would be absolutely amazing. Who knows, I may even put it towards learning to drive (which I'm sure would help me reach my ultimate goal). Just the thought of it brings a big smile to my face because finding something truly 'me' is all I'm really striving for.

The prevention here has been, again, me not having the money put aside to dip into to help me figure things out. Being able to do so, being able to come up with a career that suits me, would mean absolutely everything. It would lift the biggest weight off my shoulders and, my goodness, would I be grateful for that! I can't even put into words what it would mean to me. The thought is indescribable.