My Bucket List

43 Replies

This is a blast from my past. It was originally written in June 2014 but I think it is still as pertinent today as it was almost 10 years ago.

‘The Bucket List’ was a movie that came out in 2007 with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.  It tells the story of two terminally ill men who take a road trip to fulfill their final wishes:  their Bucket List.

It has become quite popular for people to create their own bucket list.  It is a list of things they want to accomplish before they kicked the bucket.  My list, my bucket, is a little different.

In my bucket I’m holding tight to the memories, the emotions, the ideas that made my life as rich as it has been.  When I approach St. Peter at the gates of eternity (hopefully many years from now) I want my bucket to be overflowing with love, with smiles, with humour and yes with remembered tears of sadness that I have journeyed with throughout my life.

I don’t want to complete things and then strike them off the list to move on.  I want the pictures in my mind to be retained until my last breath.  I want to be able to recall my first kiss.  Okay maybe not the first kiss as we were young and stupid.  But I definitely got much better.  I want to remember what it felt like when my father picked me up as a sleeping child to take me to my room.  I want to remember what it felt like when I got my first praise for a short story I had written.  To know that my words could touch another was intoxicating.

I want to remember puppy dog kisses and a kitten’s purr.  I once watched a cow giving birth and many years later I watched the same process with our family dog.  Five incredibly beautiful puppies took their first breath while I watched!  It was exhilarating.  I have watched whales playing a few feet from my boat.  I have caught fish and seen bears in the wild.  I have been to other countries and have experienced a warm welcome.  I have driven through mind numbing storms and joked about it afterwards.  I have been deep in caves hoping that my guide knew the way out.  I have done so much in my life and all of those experiences are in my bucket.  I’m not done yet so I think I’d better get a bigger bucket!

 

 

 

 

43 thoughts on “My Bucket List”

  2. Murphy’s Law

    You definitely need a bigger bucket my friend! I like your idea that the things on a bucket list should include past memories, not just future hopes. If we throw out our memories, we throw out part of what makes us Us.

    If you could come back after death, I think you would come back as a wise old owl because you are a wise old broad! Well, you’re not that old actually but you sure are wise!
    Ginger

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  3. Dan Antion

    I like your view of the bucket (accumulating good things) way better than the popular bucket list-the goal of which seems driven to set us up for failure. I don’t have that type of list. Thanks for rerunning this post, Pam!

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  6. Darlene

    I’ve never liked the term bucket list, although I certainly have a list of goals/things I want to do in this life. The list is not as long anymore as many of the things on it, I’ve done. Anything else is gravy in my mind. I like your idea of a bucket full of good memories that you can add to as you go along. But I still need things to look forward to as that is what keeps me going.

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  9. joylennick

    I’m with you all the way, Pam…Now I’m a nonagenarian, (how did that happen?)my bucket is nearly full, but I love popping in it and retrieving the memory of yet another adventure I had. Great fun!

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  14. Mark Lanesbury

    Those buckets are indeed an incredible thing Pam, so many things go in, go out, and round and round. But ever making an incredible thing called love. A great post dear lady, may your bucket keep stirring that beautiful mix 😀❤️🙏🏽

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  18. Dale

    This is a beautiful post, Pam. I agree. Ticking things off to do before dying… do we really enjoy them that way? Much nicer to think back and savour the memories we have collected. Nothing wrong with adding more, but do we need the urgency?
    I’m playing catch up!!

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