My “Stay in the Bucket” List

Happy Sunday-Funday everybody!

In my last post, I mentioned that one of the items on by ‘bucket list’ was to one day visit France and Italy. Most of you have all heard about the concept of having a ‘bucket list’ or, rather, a personal list of all the goals you want to achieve, dreams you want to fulfill and life-experiences you wish to experience before you ‘kick the bucket’. I think that everyone should have some sort of list like this, whether it’s written down, emailed to your i-phone, or just simply in that noggin of yours somewhere. Having such a list allows us to be held accountable for what we want to achieve, see and do in our lives, helping us to maximize every moment we have and live life to the fullest.

What do you want to do before you die?

My bucket list is a mile and a half long, filled with things like “Kiss somebody in the rain”, “See a baseball game at every stadium in America”, “Write and publish a book (currently working on that one as we speak!)”, “Swim with the dolphins”, “See New York at Christmas time (check!)”, “Run a marathon”, “Send a message in a bottle” and “Make a positive difference in someone’s life”. The thing about this bucket list is that each and every item is completely do-able and is a stepping stone for me to go out and make these things actually come to fruition. Slowly but surely, I hope to cross off each and every item, bringing with them unbelievable experiences and incredible memories.

Along with my ‘bucket list’, I also have another list, one that I would like to call my “Stay in the bucket list”. This list is full of items that I hope I don’t ever have to do, see, hear or experience in my lifetime (again). After all, life is just too short to repeat  what didn’t work for you the first time, right?

Yeah...that can just stay in there.

Here, in part, is my “Stay in the bucket list”…

1. Drive my manual VW bug (or any stick shift vehicle for that matter) through the HILLY streets of San Fransisco. My stick shift and hills are most definitely not on good speaking terms…nor do I think they will ever be.

2. See any “show on ice”.

3. Eat squid.

4. Wear apparel, cheer for or have any positive inclinations for the Chicago Cubs.

5. Sit through any movie starring Gerard De Pardieu. Ditto for Pauly Shore.

6. Attend a youngster’s birthday party at Chuckie Cheese, no matter how tasty the pizza is.

7. Attempt to curl my hair. Or cut my hair. Or straighten my hair. No, it’s not rocket science but, well, for me, it kind of is.

8. Ever give a rat’s batooty about actual rocket science.

9. Go ice fishing. Sorry dad, but I just don’t see the point of sitting in sub-zero temperatures for hours on end, freezing your hat off, just waiting for a fish that will most likely never even attempt to take your bait because they, unlike us, don’t want to risk getting frostbite and hypothermia. In fact, I bet they all get a good laugh, watching us from below wondering what in the world we are thinking.

10. Work at Victoria’s Secret. Do you know how tiny those pairs of skivies are? It’s like trying to fold floss.

11. Run up Trail Ridge in CO like it ain’t no thang but a chicken wing. Talk about altitude sickness. Blechk.

12. Mistake sugar for salt on my Cheerios.

13.  Own a pair of gladiator sandals. There have been plenty of fads that I have succumbed to in my past: the jean overalls, the scrunchie, the baby doll dress with leggings.  It’s understandable.  But I don’t get the gladiator sandal.  Celebrities can’t even make those puppies look good.  I am neither a Gladiator or an actor in “Spartacus”.  I will pass.

14. Go for a run in my spanking new running kicks through a dog park. There are poo land mines everywhere which are sure to be stepped in.

15. Throwing peanut M&M’s up into the air and trying to catch them in my mouth. They always inevitably end up making direct contact with my front teeth.

16. Driving through Nebraska. Or Kansas. Or Oklahoma any time between March – October. I didn’t like the movie Twister and I certainly don’t want to reenact it.

17. Not do something just because I am afraid.

18. Have a super-duper clean house. It’s just not happening for this chica.

19. Shoveling 20″ of snow to uncover my car with a mere ice scraper.

20. Ignorantly ignoring the waiter’s warning when they say that the food and plate are hot.

This was a just a snippet of what I don’t want to do before I kick the bucket, and I am sure that as I learn and experience new thing, yet another item will be tacked on to this list. Although both lists can be beneficial, it’s important to balance both what is in, and what isn’t, in your bucket to ensure that you have a great day and an even better tomorrow.

So what are you waiting for? Start crossing those items off (or keeping them on, especially if it involves eating squid…gross!).

Question of the day: What are some of the things you want to do before you die? What are some of the things you don’t?