Get started on your bucket list

For more than 12 years, I have gone to water exercise every weekday morning. And I love it!
In those 12 years, I have had two excellent teachers–Cheryl and Tony–and an untold number of fun classmates.
Many have come and gone. And of those, many stayed only briefly. But a few stayed a long time and finally had to leave because of health reasons.
And, sadly, some very good pool friends have died.
Fortunately, some still come regularly, like Martha, Deb, Jeannine, Elva, Marvin, Frank, and Limon. And lots of Pats.
One slow morning, I decided to have some fun. So, I said “Pat!” And, of the other seven people in the pool, four answered!
Later, Pat Litsey said, “That was a good joke!”
As we work out, we try to laugh. But we also have serious conversations.
Our group includes men and women aged 50-90—people who have had very interesting experiences. So there’s a lot to talk about!
We hear reports on everyone’s travels–Alaska, Italy, Hawaii, Texas, and the Grand Canyon–and their interests. We ask about each other’s children and get to know each other very well.
Sometimes the women discuss recipes and what to make for dinner.
But one thing we have never talked about until last week was our “bucket lists.” In fact, I had never heard the phrase until last Tuesday.
When I asked for a definition, my friends explained that a bucket list is a list of things you would like to do before you die.
I said, “I call those goals.” But it turns out that goals don’t qualify!
As an example of what would qualify, Jeannine said she wants to take a train trip in the Canadian Rockies and see Banff. And Deb would like to go to the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
No thanks, I thought! I’ve been to Banff and loved it. And I would never in a million years walk on top of the Grand Canyon on a glass platform!
So for now, I’ll stick to my goals, such as publishing my first book of columns and consolidating my lifetime of paper into two file cabinets.
That’s the beauty of your bucket list–it’s yours, and yours alone.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a bucket list is “a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime.”
The term refers to the old English idiom “to kick the bucket,” meaning “to die.”
But the phrase “bucket list” was coined early in the 21st century. It was popularized by the 2007 movie, “The Bucket List,” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.
So what experiences or achievements would you like to have or accomplish in your lifetime?
Think about it! Would you like to climb a mountain, or would you prefer to experience the mountains from a gondola or a train window?
Or would you prefer to avoid the mountains entirely?
Would you like to write a children’s book or take a painting class? Or would you prefer to experience the Grand Canyon by walking on top of the huge chasm on a glass platform!
It’s your life. It’s your bucket list. Why not get started today!
Write Marie Snider at thisside60@cox.net