My Bucket List

Did you ever see the film, “The Bucket List”?  The main plot follows two terminally ill men (Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) on a road trip with a wish list of things to do before they "kick the bucket."



While watching the Survivor season finale Sunday evening, I mentioned to my wife that I would never want to be a contestant on this show.  Don’t get me wrong, I have spent my share of time camping, hiking, climbing, competing, and even surviving in my life.  It is just that spending 39 days competing against others where lying, cheating, stealing, and throwing others under the bus is not my idea of fun.

You know how one thought leads to another, completely different thought.  Well, that is what happened.  I began reliving several highlights in my life (and there were many, thankfully).  These experiences let to other thoughts and some regrets.



This is where my “bucket list” came into play.  No, I am not going to kick the bucket soon (I hope anyway).  Yet, I can not longer do any of the following, but I sure wish I would have while I was still able.

• Hike to the northern beaches of the Baby Grand Canyon in Kauai.
  
• Scuba dive off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
  
• Hike the Denali National Park in Alaska.
  
• Whitewater raft through the Grand Canyon.
  
• Visit the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt and tour the inner chambers.

All of these adventures were achievable when I was younger, but they were not a priority at the time.  My career was my #2 priority (coming in right after my family).  Often, our adventures were closely linked (a side trip) to some business trip I was on.  These side trips were great because they were wonderful adventures with my wife.

Then, I woke up one day and realized I was no longer physically capable of doing any of these things.  Yes, there are some compromise trips that are still available, but they do not interest me.  The joy would have come from the combined physical, intellectual and emotional aspects of the adventures mentioned above … not just being a tourist.

Where am I going with this article?  

If you are reading this and are still able to physically get around (early onset), make a “bucket list”.  Prioritize your list and make certain each adventure is important to you.  Then, begin to check them off.  The list does not have to be made up of expensive trips.  The idea behind the "bucket list" is to not put off things that would make a difference in your life (fulfill a dream or inspire you to do even greater things).  Just ask yourself, "What have I always wanted to do?" and go from there.

Do not wait until you are in your 60s and find yourself singing, “Regrets, I’ve had a few …”  (Frank Sinatra’s song, “My Way”)