Severe weather rolled into our area leaving me with nothing to do but surf. Surf the web, that is. Having caught up on new uploads by friends and family on Facebook and Flickr, and following the trail of YouTube videos, I’ve discovered there’s a hole in my bucket.
The Bucket List has become the new “thing” in our culture ensuring the older we get, a tangible list of goals can be crossed off when fulfilled. And with less time, and more things added to the list, it’s almost like we are driving in the fast lane to finish it all.
As I have shared in my small series, Vain Worries, I have had an especially hard time turning 50. Most people never know the hour of their death, and at the risk of sounding morbid, based on a family history, most of the woman in my family haven’t lived past 69. This leaves me 19 years to work on my bucket list, give or take.
Knowing this has made me more appreciative of the time I’m given. It’s made me aware of the time I’ve squandered, and when I’m spinning my wheels in the present, which seems to be a lot lately. People get so caught up in day to day, that too often stopping to smell the roses just becomes cliché.
My husband’s daughter added new pictures of her new outfits, new boots, new friends, new boyfriend, and new adventures onto Flickr. The gorgeous young flawless face hit me like a ton of bricks. That was me! It was me 30 years ago. Where has the time gone?
My first job was at 14 years old dipping ice cream at a soda fountain where my grandmother had been a waitress for 30 plus years. My mother had been a grocery department employee in the same store, and my brother would become the Christmas “assembly boy” a few years later. Most employees had some family working in other parts of the store, so it was a homey environment for all.
Paychecks were divided into tithing, spending money for me, groceries added to the family pantry, and new dresses for my mom, and baby sister. These things weren’t required of me, but contributing to our household was important to me and fun at the same time.
Trying to discover who I was as a person, I started a list of things I liked, didn’t like, wanted to accomplish, and where I could see myself in “X” number of years. Things like, Barbra Streisand and blond hair/blue eyed boys fell in the “like” column. Broccoli, and alcohol fell in the “do not like” column. And the “where I want to be” column included living in an orchard, owning my own home, and being a stay home mom. I had a bucket list and didn’t even know it.
Listening to oldies from YouTube while surfing the net was nostalgic. Bachman & Turner’s (aka Bachman Turner Overdrive) song “Let it Ride” is my all time favorite. You know, the one you play 50 times before getting tired of listening to any music period. Others included some Whitney Houston, Crosby, Seals & Nash, and Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, to name a few. Needless to say, these songs flooded my memory banks with awareness of unfinished business. (And, huh, the knowledge that music isn’t really music these days but, that is another story.)
So, saying there’s a hole in my bucket is a hard thing to do. Living in an orchard is almost an improbability. I don’t own a substantial amount of land, and it’s too late to start growing apple or peach trees. It spilled out of my bucket, and it hurts. Stay at home mom has been crossed off my list. I was a single mom working two jobs, and going to college. By the time I finished college, I turned around, and my children were grown. Do they really even know me? It hurts.
Potty training a 2 year old wasn’t on my list at 50, but it happened. I’m a stay at home aunt and this sweet little princess trained in 2 weeks. What a breeze compared to the months it took for my sons. Perhaps, I rushed it, and they have deep seeded mother issues that will surface in later life causing thousands of dollars to be spent on psychotherapy. Or, it may be easier for girls. Who knows, I did the best I could at that age, and time; or did I?
The new bucket list includes a trip to England, Ireland, and Wales, Canada, Montana, and Savannah, Georgia with the hubs. I’ve added a cake decorating class from the Wilton school in Chicago. My husband is a master baker, so he will enjoy this also. Lastly, getting my youngest through college, and seeing him on his own finishes up the list.
This article isn’t intended to be sad but to act as a wake up call. And, to suggest that no matter what your age, start your bucket list early enough to enjoy life. At the end of the road, it can be one well traveled instead of one muddy muck in which you’ve gotten stuck, and spent your wheels. Patch that bucket folks, or simply buy a new one!
The Bucket List has become the new “thing” in our culture ensuring the older we get, a tangible list of goals can be crossed off when fulfilled. And with less time, and more things added to the list, it’s almost like we are driving in the fast lane to finish it all.
As I have shared in my small series, Vain Worries, I have had an especially hard time turning 50. Most people never know the hour of their death, and at the risk of sounding morbid, based on a family history, most of the woman in my family haven’t lived past 69. This leaves me 19 years to work on my bucket list, give or take.
Knowing this has made me more appreciative of the time I’m given. It’s made me aware of the time I’ve squandered, and when I’m spinning my wheels in the present, which seems to be a lot lately. People get so caught up in day to day, that too often stopping to smell the roses just becomes cliché.
My husband’s daughter added new pictures of her new outfits, new boots, new friends, new boyfriend, and new adventures onto Flickr. The gorgeous young flawless face hit me like a ton of bricks. That was me! It was me 30 years ago. Where has the time gone?
My first job was at 14 years old dipping ice cream at a soda fountain where my grandmother had been a waitress for 30 plus years. My mother had been a grocery department employee in the same store, and my brother would become the Christmas “assembly boy” a few years later. Most employees had some family working in other parts of the store, so it was a homey environment for all.
Paychecks were divided into tithing, spending money for me, groceries added to the family pantry, and new dresses for my mom, and baby sister. These things weren’t required of me, but contributing to our household was important to me and fun at the same time.
Trying to discover who I was as a person, I started a list of things I liked, didn’t like, wanted to accomplish, and where I could see myself in “X” number of years. Things like, Barbra Streisand and blond hair/blue eyed boys fell in the “like” column. Broccoli, and alcohol fell in the “do not like” column. And the “where I want to be” column included living in an orchard, owning my own home, and being a stay home mom. I had a bucket list and didn’t even know it.
Listening to oldies from YouTube while surfing the net was nostalgic. Bachman & Turner’s (aka Bachman Turner Overdrive) song “Let it Ride” is my all time favorite. You know, the one you play 50 times before getting tired of listening to any music period. Others included some Whitney Houston, Crosby, Seals & Nash, and Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, to name a few. Needless to say, these songs flooded my memory banks with awareness of unfinished business. (And, huh, the knowledge that music isn’t really music these days but, that is another story.)
So, saying there’s a hole in my bucket is a hard thing to do. Living in an orchard is almost an improbability. I don’t own a substantial amount of land, and it’s too late to start growing apple or peach trees. It spilled out of my bucket, and it hurts. Stay at home mom has been crossed off my list. I was a single mom working two jobs, and going to college. By the time I finished college, I turned around, and my children were grown. Do they really even know me? It hurts.
Potty training a 2 year old wasn’t on my list at 50, but it happened. I’m a stay at home aunt and this sweet little princess trained in 2 weeks. What a breeze compared to the months it took for my sons. Perhaps, I rushed it, and they have deep seeded mother issues that will surface in later life causing thousands of dollars to be spent on psychotherapy. Or, it may be easier for girls. Who knows, I did the best I could at that age, and time; or did I?
The new bucket list includes a trip to England, Ireland, and Wales, Canada, Montana, and Savannah, Georgia with the hubs. I’ve added a cake decorating class from the Wilton school in Chicago. My husband is a master baker, so he will enjoy this also. Lastly, getting my youngest through college, and seeing him on his own finishes up the list.
This article isn’t intended to be sad but to act as a wake up call. And, to suggest that no matter what your age, start your bucket list early enough to enjoy life. At the end of the road, it can be one well traveled instead of one muddy muck in which you’ve gotten stuck, and spent your wheels. Patch that bucket folks, or simply buy a new one!
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