Bucket List

I woke up this morning thinking about bucket lists. You know the “things I want to do before I die” list. The “before I die” part seems unnecessary, so I usually just stop at “things I want to do”. Recently, I went to Vegas with 4 fantastic ladies and had a blast!! While there I did some skydiving (it was an amazing experience and I highly recommend it), and I got to see the Grand Canyon (that was a spiritual experience – we did it by helicopter, landed on the floor of the canyon and had a champagne – FABULOUS!!).  (*deep sigh – I love vacations*)

Anyway, skydiving and seeing the Grand Canyon were 2 things on my bucket list I can now say that I’ve done. I also want to see the pyramids of Egypt, walk on volcanoes in Hawaii, do some white water rafting, and recently added Antarctica to the list (yeah I wanna see the ice and penguins!).

At this point you’re probably wondering, “What is she talking about?”

I’m talking about bucket lists. In particular, your bucket list. We both know you have one. Maybe your list doesn’t include some of the travelling and dare devil crap that mine does, but it’s your list so you can put on it whatever you want. Maybe you have on your bucket list a trip to Disney World for you and the kids, or doing a weekend at a spa like in the movies. You know the mud bath, cucumbers on the eyes, and the masseur Pierre working his magic on a lot of different muscles. (Ok we won’t go there! ;-)

How many times have you talked yourself out of doing something on your bucket list? How many times have you allowed the opinions of others to persuade you from doing something on your bucket list? You tell yourself you can’t afford for you and your 3 children to go to Disney World. Your friends and family think it’s a dumb idea for you to learn French since you don’t know anybody who speaks it. I want you to tell you and them to just shut up!

What kind of research have you done to get you and the kids to Disney World? Have you talked to travel agents? Put a package together yourself? Maybe you can’t afford for you guys to go next month, but what about next year? Other folks may not want you to know this, but you can pay on the trip over time. Like layaway!! Stay at a hotel that includes breakfast as part of its package, has a shuttle to and from attractions and within walking distance to some, and offers discount tickets. Pay for as much as possible in advance of going so that you don’t have to worry about it once you’re there. Heck, make your children your planning partners! Trust me, they’ll keep you on track with “Mom you don’t need those shoes we’ll need the money for Disney World!” Encourage your 13 year old son to cut grass and shovel snow to make a few dollars, so he can have his own spending money. Take him to the bank to open an account to keep it in. The lessons he’ll learn from the whole experience will make him a more responsible person.

Stop letting your life pass you by! With careful planning you can do most, if not all, of the things on your bucket list. Every time you accomplish a goal, or meet some milestone, you’ll feel better about YOU! You’ll be setting a great example for your children. And in case you’re wondering, no you don’t have to tackle the list in order!

So, what are we doing first?!