The Bucket List

The Bucket List

February 3, 2008, 9:29 am
Filed under: Fun Monday, My Life, Nature

I had some problems compiling my ‘bucket list’ for Tiggerlane’s  Fun Monday post.   I hadn’t heard of the movie so the first thing I did was some research on the whole ‘bucket list’ concept.   And the thing of it is, I’ve been living my ‘bucket list’ for years. My earthly life could end in the next six years, hours, minutes or seconds and I can’t remember when I first really became attuned to that fact. But I do know that I’ve dreamed dreams then set out to achieve those dreams or goals since I was in high school. 

My long-time philosophy has been to take the time to do the things I really want to do; to take the time to experience things that I really want to experience; to live my life to its fullest capacity because my future is unknown. And while I’ve added things to my ‘bucket list’ over the years, the fact remains that my list is still considerably shorter than when I first embarked on the journey of adult life. I don’t consider the shorter length of my list as a lack of vision or drive. I’ve simply reached a point of greater contentment and peace with who I am and with the life I’ve lived and am still living. I don’t regret the choices I’ve made.

I would like to complete my goal of visiting all fifty states. There are only thirteen I haven’t been to and Alaska is at the top of that remaining list of thirteen. I would like to spend some time building houses with Habitat for Humanity. And I would consider it a great honor to meet and work with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. I’d like to spend a year in Vermont to experience the change of seasons in New England. I’d like to attend an opera, preferably a Puccini opera, at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. I’d love to have the means to purchase a beautiful old house in disrepair and, with a team of experts at my beck and call, renovate it to its former glory. But, honestly, I don’t believe I would even think of doing any of these things if I found out that I only had a specific amount of time left in this world.

If these lovely fellows were hanging around waiting for me to kick the bucket, I would spend every last second that I could with the people I love.   I would want to resolve old hurts and make amends in relationships that ended badly.  I would say things like “I love you”, “I’m sorry”,  and “I’m so thankful that you were a part of my life” to as many people as I could.   I would give away everything  I owned and donate my last dimes to worthy causes.  Then I would kick back, at peace with the people around me and unencumbered by material concerns, praying for the strength, courage and fortitude to enjoy my final ride.   

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