20 Things to See Before You Die

A bucket list of things to do before you die is a common aim or consideration. A list of things to see before you die is not so common.

Therefore, I have complied a list of 20 things that I believe you need to stop, look, really look, and appreciate before you die.

1. A summer sunset; they say the best sunsets are overseas (Greece, USA, South Africa, etc.) but I disagree. The best sunsets are in your backyard. The best sunsets are at your hometown. The best sunsets have a landscape that makes you smile.
2. A wild animal; as many wild animals as you can. Possibly from a distance, just to be safe. Next time you are in nature (or in your backyard) look for wild animals (or ants or insects in the yard), look at how they move, how they act and get lost in the moment.
3. The ocean; the colours, the movement, the expanse. Soak it all up.
4. The beach; the sand, the waves, the caves and the animals.
5. The stars; again, the colours, the movement, the expanse, the mystics and the beauty.
6. The moon; big, small, full or not. This lumpy constant is a beautiful sight, especially through a telescope
7. A movie; especially one that makes you think or laugh out loud. After the movie, think about what you have just seen – tiny pixels, dancing all the screen to create a picture, that rolls into another picture, constantly, making a moving artwork that comes with sound and a storyline.
8. The view from a plane; the view above is one that not often seen and highly recommended.
9. A different country, or a different culture; the world is bigger than your immediate world. Seeing a different country or a different culture can be life changing in big and small ways.
10. Snow; the beauty, the mess, the slosh and the glare. Experience it all.
11. Art; the beauty of art is subjective and personal. However you can’t experience visual art without vision. Enjoy the beauty that someone has created for your eyes to enjoy.
12. Live sport; particularly a sport that you actually play. Love live sport, or hate it, it’s something to experience.
13. An open (and safe) fire (probably in a fire pit); I can often spend several long minutes staring into a firepit and being lost in its dance. The beauty that you see is one of a kind (as the flare varies depending on wood type, volume of wood, wind, etc.).
14. The forest; a bush forest, a rainforest, all the forests.
15. A city; your closest capital city, or some location that has high rises, apartments, parks, office buildings. The place often referred to as a concrete jungle. It’s often considered ‘ugly’, but the beauty of the man made (as in someone just like you) creation is not to be overlooked.
16. A place of worship; if you are not religious, you may have never seen the inside of a church, temple, synagogue or mosque. If you are allowed in, it is worth respectfully having a look.
17. A performance; a concert, a musical, ballet, circus etc. Something that demonstrates the abilities of the human body.
18. A rainbow; the mystics, the beauty, the colour, the pot of gold!
19. The internet; a lot of us may take this one for granted, but if we were to take a step back and realise what we are seeing when we are surfing the net we can remember that this technology is absolutely amazing – information, artwork, social connections and more. It is truly amazing.
20. Body language; eye rolls, smiles, frowns, body movements, hand gestures, love, all the movements that tell a story without saying a word. The intuition we develop from seeing the situation or environment.

Sometimes we can take our sight for granted and not really see the beauty that is all around us. I hope this list has reminded you of the beauty you are surrounded by, and the importance of our eyes.