Bucket List

Remember the movie the Bucket List where two guys- Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman are told they have a terminal illness and so they decide to create a bucket list and cross things off- exciting life experiences that they always wanted to do before they died. I think everyone should have a bucket list whether they have a terminal illness or not. There's something final about a bucket list if you are dying, although we all are dying some just see the end more clearly focused than the rest of us.

I started my bucket list a few years ago, really it was about six years before I actually wrote one out but the difference between their list and mine is I keep adding things to mine as I get braver or discover something new or have accomplished something on the list and want to push myself a little farther. My unofficial bucket list started with doing a vacation to Italy with three of my girlfriends.I caught the travel bug and because I'm such a history nerd made a mental list of all the cool places I wanted to see. I also decided that there were things like traveling, owning a house, etc. that I had always said I would do when I got married. But why wait till your married- experience life as you live instead of waiting for someone to come along to live. Does that make sense?

You can read about how my Bucket List was started and some of the results that came from it here.

If you read my blog at all you know that I stared running because of the bucket list. Two years ago I never would have imagined that I would have done a half marathon and when I decided to do sign up for one and I finished it was a-once-in-a lifetime-never-to-be-repeated event. But it wasn't because it became a form of  exercise and something that I could see improvement in (running time, distance, per minute mile, ect) and I became addicted to the medals and the cool shirts. I even earned a second medal for doing two half marathons in the same year by the same group. 


But I thought I would share my bucket list with you. I turn 40 next year and I've been thinking that I want to do something fun and cool and exciting for my 40th. I usually end up working or just having dinner with family and a couple friends for my birthday but I think I might want to try and do a full marathon. It's really scary and big and crazy and I can't even run a mile but I have over 18 months to train and maybe be able to cross it off my list. Is that too big? Too crazy?

My Bucket List

 Drive a Nascar and or do a ride-along with a Nascar driver

 Learn to speak Spanish 

Hike the Grand Canyon from Rim to Rim

Learn to Swim

Take some law classes

Do a Ragnar Race

Live on the East Coast at some point in my life

Go on a mission geared around agriculture

Zip Line

Attend an Olympic Game (most likely a Summer Game)

Read the Bible in a year 

Take a road trip from Maine to Florida

Run 5 miles without stopping

Complete a Marathon

Attend a professional Hockey and Football game

Attend a Nascar race at Talledega, Brickyard and Daytona

Attend a show on Broadway

Completing a triathlon

Visit the following places:

Tombstone, AZ

Kartner Caverns

4 Corners area

Houston, TX

Richmond, VA

A Navajo Village (cliff dwellings)

Yellowstone National Park

Mt. Rushmore

Ireland

Scotland

Prague

Amarillo, TX

Australia

Gettysburg/Philadelphia

Visit all 50 states

New York City (Time Square, Central Park, Ellis Island, Statute of Liberty)

France (Normandy, Eiffel Tower)

World War II Battle sites US fought in throughout Europe

It may never be complete but I have been able to cross things off my list such as traveling to Europe (March 2006 and April 2007), Attending a black tie event (Dec 2004), sky diving (Aug 2000), completing a half marathon (Jan and Nov of 2012). 

Your bucket list doesn't have to be written down but I think it allows us to live life and experience things that that make us grow as person whether that is through physical or emotion events or even just traveling your state, country or world and seeing what God has created and experiencing life. Because I think that life events not only are just experiences for you to look back on at the end of your life but they are also meant to be shared with others. You can share them as you explain a feeling or as an example for a life lesson. And let's be honest it makes for some great party conversations as well as ice breakers when you meet someone new. It makes you well rounded.