Our blog this month is a Top 5 topic written by Josh Loftis, GEAR UP Program Officer at NDE. His topic was his “Top 5 Bucket List Items”. You can read about his amazing selection below.
1. Write a Screenplay or Stage Play
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of performing. When I was younger, I took acting classes, auditioned for stage and screen roles, and dreamed about what it might be like to bring a character to life in front of an audience. One of the highlights of that time was getting the opportunity to perform on one of Reno’s large casino theater stages, where I sang “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from Les Misérables. There’s something pretty incredible about standing on a stage like that, pouring yourself into a performance, and connecting with an audience through a story and a song.
Over the years, though, my interest has gradually shifted from performing stories to creating them. I’ve discovered that I genuinely enjoy writing, and, perhaps even more rewarding, that people seem to enjoy and appreciate the things I share. I’ve accumulated more than a few ideas, characters, and storylines that I think would make for compelling entertainment. Some have come from books I’ve read, others from my own imagination, and a few have been those persistent “what if?” ideas that refuse to leave you alone.
One day, I’d love to take one of those ideas and turn it into a finished screenplay or stage play. I may not always be the one standing under the spotlight, but there’s something equally exciting about knowing that the words you’ve written might one day come to life on a stage or screen.
2. Write a Novel
This one goes hand in hand with writing a screenplay or stage play, but there’s something uniquely appealing about writing a novel. In recent years, I’ve found my imagination expanding in ways I never really expected. I enjoy building worlds, developing characters, creating intricate storylines, and exploring the possibilities of where a story might go. Sometimes, an idea starts with a single character or a simple question, and before I know it, I’m imagining an entire world around it.
What I love most about writing is the freedom to explore those possibilities. You can create someone who feels as real as a person you’ve known your entire life, take readers somewhere they’ve never been, or invite them to see the world from a perspective they might never have considered. And, of course, you can throw in a few twists and turns just when they think they’ve figured everything out!
But there’s a difference between enjoying the process of imagining a story and actually finishing a book. There’s also a difference between writing something for yourself and putting it out into the world for other people to read. That’s part of what makes this a bucket list item for me. I’d love to take one of the stories living in my head, commit to seeing it through from beginning to end, and eventually become a published author.
Who knows? Maybe someday someone will pick up a book with my name on the cover, settle into a comfortable chair, and get lost in a world I created. That’s a pretty amazing thought.
3. Become a Certified Skydiver
Yep, I’m one of those people who jumped out of a perfectly good airplane at the age of 16. In retrospect, that probably tells you a little something about my personality!
To be fair, I wasn’t completely reckless. I had a certified skydiver attached to my back, so I wasn’t exactly out there figuring out how a parachute worked on my own. Still, there’s nothing quite like stepping out of an airplane and suddenly finding yourself falling through the sky, surrounded by clouds, with the world spread out beneath you.
What surprised me most was the incredible sense of freedom. For those few moments, there was this feeling of being completely untethered, moving through the air and experiencing something so far removed from everyday life. It was exhilarating, a little terrifying, and absolutely unforgettable.
Ever since then, I’ve wanted to go back and earn my skydiving certification. I don’t just want to experience that initial jump again; I want to learn the skills, understand the process, and eventually have the ability to make a jump on my own.
There’s a certain satisfaction in taking something that once seemed extraordinary and learning to do it through your own knowledge and experience. Of course, I realize that becoming a certified skydiver involves a great deal of training, preparation, and safety procedures. But that’s part of the appeal. I want to prove to myself that I can do more than simply experience an adventure—I can dedicate myself to mastering it.
Besides, how many people get to say they decided that jumping out of an airplane once just wasn’t enough?
4. Climb K2
Did you get the impression from my last bucket list item that I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie? Haha! Well, this one probably confirms it.
When people think about climbing the world’s great mountains, Mount Everest is usually the first one that comes to mind. And don’t get me wrong—if someone offered me the opportunity to climb Everest, I certainly wouldn’t turn it down! But there’s another mountain that has always captured my imagination: K2.
K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, is often regarded as one of the most technically demanding and dangerous mountains to climb. Its steep terrain, unpredictable weather, and unforgiving conditions make it an entirely different kind of challenge. Everest is the mountain most people dream about conquering; K2 has always appealed to me because of the sheer technical difficulty involved.
I’ve already had the opportunity to push myself in the mountains. To my knowledge, I’m the only person in a wheelchair to have successfully trekked to the summit of Mount Rose in the Tahoe Basin, reaching an elevation of 10,777 feet. That experience taught me something about determination, adapting to difficult terrain, and refusing to let other people’s expectations define what’s possible.
Of course, climbing K2 would be an undertaking on an entirely different scale. The physical demands, technical climbing skills, environmental hazards, and logistical challenges would be enormous, and my physical disability would add another layer of complexity to an already extraordinary expedition.
But that’s exactly what makes the idea so compelling to me. I’m drawn to challenges that require ingenuity, preparation, perseverance, and a willingness to step beyond what’s familiar. It’s not simply about reaching a summit or collecting another accomplishment. It’s about discovering just how far human determination, creativity, and teamwork can take us.
Will I ever actually see the summit of K2? I honestly don’t know. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the size of a dream shouldn’t automatically determine whether you’re willing to explore it.
5. Go Back to School
Of all the things on this list, this might be the one that excites me the most—and scares me the most at the same time.
I’m actually one of the few people on the GEAR UP team who doesn’t have an advanced degree. I’ve completed some college coursework, but I never finished the journey toward a degree. And working in an environment where higher education is such a central part of what we do has given me a new appreciation for what it means to invest in yourself through education.
Every day, I get to see the difference that access to education, encouragement, and opportunity can make in someone’s life. I see students trying to figure out their futures, professionals continuing to develop their skills, and people discovering possibilities they might never have considered before. It’s difficult to spend that much time around the power of education without eventually asking yourself a pretty important question: Why shouldn’t I do the same thing?
Going back to school would mean stepping outside my comfort zone. It would mean balancing coursework with my job, my family, and all the other responsibilities that come with adult life. It would mean revisiting the classroom as someone who has a few more years, a little more experience, and hopefully a great deal more perspective than I did the first time around.
And, honestly, that can be intimidating. It’s one thing to encourage students to pursue their educational goals; it’s another thing entirely to put yourself in their shoes and do it yourself.
But if there’s one lesson GEAR UP has reinforced for me, it’s that education isn’t something you age out of. There’s no expiration date on learning, and the opportunity to invest in yourself doesn’t disappear just because you took a different road for a while.
Earning a degree could open professional doors, strengthen my ability to serve others, and give me tools I could use in pursuing some of the other items on this list. More importantly, though, it would be a personal accomplishment—proof to myself that it’s never too late to take a dream seriously and do something about it.
Of all my bucket list items, this is the one that feels the most within reach, even if it also feels like the biggest leap of faith. And maybe that’s a good place to start.
