Sunday, January 22, 2012

Bucket list

Every potential retiree has to have a bucket list, right? I made one a couple years ago:

Meditate each morning.

Walk a mile daily.

Deliver four coach training workshops per year.

Deliver four retirement workshops per year.

Do genealogy research four hours per week.

Write four hours per week.

Paint two days per week.

Join artist co-op.

Take one art workshop per year.

Do one elderhostel class per year.

Volunteer for hospice.

Join book club.

Have guests for dinner twice a month.

Visit with kids four times per year.

Some of those things I'd cross out now, but I'd also add:

Learn to speak Italian

Learn to play the harmonica

Travel

I floated an idea past Shel Friday nite about renting an RV and taking an across-the-US trip. Reality intervened--cost, what to do with the dog, the fact that it is probably too close to camping to be fun for me. However, it got me thinking about the places I want to visit, the people I want to see and two things came to mind: 1) how many times I visited great places for work and never took the time to see anything but the hotel or meeting space and 2) the lens I am using now to think about travel is about "lasts". I was in Las Vegas at a conference in October and in Orlando in December for business and thought, "this is the last time I'll be here." Ever. It made me experience the trip in a different way. There is a long list of places I want to see again, and probably for the last time. And, regrettably, a very long list of places I will most likely never see because of our retirement budget.

So, this is the regret of aging! That your time is finite. That there are things you will never get to do. Could be paralyzingly sad if I let it, or it could be the wake up call to look beyond the rhythm of Everyday to a bigger plan for Tomorrow. Now that could be fun! An off-my-rocker bucket list!

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