My Bucket List

As I continue to advance in years, I have been considering the need for a bucket list. As I am sure most know, the idea of the bucket list is to create a list of things to accomplish prior to “kicking the bucket”. This concept was further reinforced in a 2007 movie “the Bucket List” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. I think also in the last several weeks I have received a number of emails reporting the death of many people I have known and worked with over the years. These notices from the “doom and gloom” email list have made me more aware of my own mortality.  This awareness has instilled in me a sense of urgency to not put off what I want to do.  

As a result, I begin thinking I should start working on my own bucket list. But, the problem is, I do not really have a bucket list. So I am now in the process of creating one. I do not plan on having anything too exotic on this list. I do not want to climb the face of a cliff or jump out o an airplane. In my opinion items like that on a bucket list only serve to help ensure one does not complete ones bucket list. I wonder if creating a bucket list assists in longevity as it gives a person a reason to go on trying to reach the end of the list. That probably has never been scientifically studied so I am offer it as a challenge to the scientific community.

As far as my own bucket list goes, at this point it is quite short. In fact, I only have two items on it. The first item is to dance at the wedding of all of my grandchildren. In that my youngest grandchild is only too, accomplishing that item is somewhat challenging, in two ways. The first challenge is to actually survive to see the event, and if I do survive, to be able to dance at the event. The second item, very recently added, is to visit Washington D.C. and visit all the war memorials located there. Every generation of my family going back to my grandfather have served in the military during wartime. That heritage makes me want to visit the memorials commemorating the service of all the veterans in my family. I just added a third item as I thought of this. I want to take a long distance train ride. I wonder if there are passenger trains that travel from Cincinnati to Washington D.C.? If so, I could accomplish two items in the same period of time.

With this in mind, I think I should stop this issue of the blog and start thinking about items on my list. Perhaps you can help me. If you have ever thought “I wonder why Tom has never ________ (fill in the blank)”, let me know and I can consider it as a bucket list item. I will keep you all advised as I add to the list. I may even have to ask for help in checking off items on the list. I’ll let you know.

Those are my thoughts, what are yours?

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