When asked this question some people will say yes and some say no. However, most whether they have one or not will have at least one thing they dream of doing in life. I have heard answers ranging from "I want to watch the sun come up over the ocean" to "have a million dollars". Whatever is wanted is what really speaks to the persons heath through their desires. I have played with the concept of a bucket list in my time and have had a few things added to my list throughout the years.
Most recently I have had the opportunity of being able to almost cross off one of my long standing items. On October 30th I get to see Dr. Maya Angelou speak here in Portland. She has been a source of inspiration for me since I was just eight years old. Her talents astound me, her life inspires me and her messages resonate strongly with me. When the opportunity presented itself (after I stopped jumping with glee) I told a few people that I was going to see her and could now cross this off my bucket list.
As I told more people this I started thinking about what was really on my list and questions started to arise. Is there anything that is on there I don't really want any more? Is there anything to add? Then one question really stuck in my mind. How many things have I done in my life that should have been on the list but until I had experienced them wouldn't have made it? Funny thing is that my so called bucket list is significantly shorter than my experiences list and really spoke to how thankful I should be about my life.
Bucket List
- Travel to Scotland
- Travel to Ireland
- Obtain my Ph.D.
- Write a book
- See Dr. Maya Angelou speak
- Meet Stephen King
- See Stephen Hawking speak
- Visit my tribes reservation (Blackfoot Tribe, Browning, Montana)
- Drive a Skyline in Japan
- Travel to Moscow
- See a show on Broadway
- Have a baby
Life Experiences
- Attended Space Camp
- Been through a tornado
- Swam with dolphins
- Petted a shark in my back yard
- Learned to surf
- Owned horses
- Learned vaulting (horses)
- Trained polo horses
- Learned martial arts
- Played with a jazz band at Disney Land
- Learned many musical instruments
- Guested with an orchestra
- Spent a summer in Alaska
- Learned how to ride a motorcycle
- Moved 4,000 miles from home
- Maintained a 4.0 GPA in college
- Visited the Grand Canyon
- Spent summers at Neverland Ranch
- Went to a Super Bowl
- Had my own bodyguard
- Lived in the music celebrity circle
- Worked at a medical research facility complete with onsite learning of biology, chemistry, microfluidics, imaging, and radiochemistry
- Hosted a gala
- Vacationed at posh resorts
- Had a Tiffany's jewelry collection
- Watched my brother graduate from boot camp
- Toured the Sears tower
- Rode a train through Chicago
- Watched my nephew be born
- Got married
- Went on a honeymoon
- Drove from LA to Portland
- Went to a few professional baseball games
- Sat court side at a professional basketball game
- Flown a plane
- Flown in a private jet
- Rode an elephant
- Worked as a professional model
- Seen the Harlem Globe Trotters
- Went to many musicals (Cats, Phantom, Les Mis, Porgy & Bess, etc)
- Been on a movie set
- Been on a music video set
- Participated in recording an album
- Sailed on boats both in lakes and ocean
- Visited 14 states
- Received a scholarship
- Learned to snowboard
- Been to a professional soccer game
- Made over $1,000,000 in my life
- Had a best friend for 24 years
There is more but once I hit 50 I got the point. You can plan your life, pursue your dreams and work hard towards your goals and desires. Every once and a while stop for a moment. Take a breath. Look back on your life and realize all the things you would have missed if you didn't let life just happen sometimes. For me, I thought I had always known what I wanted my life to look like but what I know now is that I am glad it didn't work out that way.
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