Not a bucket list, but.....

  The doctor says to the patient.."I have some bad news and I have some really bad news    for you."
  The patient replies.."Give me the bad news first."
  "You have twenty fours hours to live!" says the doctor.
  "And the really bad  news?" asks the patient.
   "I tried to call you yesterday!"

    Several  years ago there was a movie titled “The Bucket List”. The message in the film was simple. It was to answer the question ......”What are the things you would like to do before you die?” The underlying question may really have been...”What are those things you did not do, for what ever reason, early on in your life?”

   Careers, family, lack of money or just plain fear are only a few of the reasons we fail to follow through on some of our wildest dreams and wishes. Then....all of a sudden you reach the age when you get up one morning, look in the mirror, only to see a face you might not recognize and you ask the question.. “What have I done with my life?”

   I am realistic enough to know that unless you start your 'bucket list' at a young age, the likelihood of a story book or 'happily ever after'  ending to life may not  happen. But sometimes it is never too late, regardless of how old you are.

   As each day passes  I think  about some of the things I might like  to do before I die and I started my own bucket list of sorts. It's not a big bucket. Let's call it the 'bright blue plastic sand pail list', you know, the kind of pail you might take to the beach as a child.

   To begin, I need a pencil and a piece of paper. Point to remember here! You should write things down, a shopping list of sorts. Its called accountability, especially if you decide to stick the list on the door of the refrigerator door for everyone to see. For me, I use a list because my memory isn't as good as it use to be.
   I have always wanted to learn to fly but realized that I didn't have the arm strength to get myself off the ground. Maybe a good substitute would be to learn to swim. I think I can float! With proper instruction, it's probably safer and a great way to exercise and control weight gain. And those little black 'speedo' bathing suits.......well !!!!

   I'll admit it. I am a 'Gleek'. I like music and  like to sing. Being 'tone challenged' can be a real handicap, however. A music teacher once suggested I learn to lip sync. " No one will ever know. Even the professionals do it." So I crank up the volume and sing a chorus of “Sweet Caroline” during the 7th inning stretch. Not bad for a beginner and the backup group is great too.

   I have dreamed about traveling to far off places. Now, living in Maine can have it's advantages for this one. Just down the highway is Norway. A quick turn gets you to 'South' Paris. Go north and you can travel to Calais. There is Lisbon and Peru, China and Naples. Who knew there were all these great place within a day's travel of home. And let's not forget about Mars (Hill)!

   Could I become a professional dancer? I did like to dance at one time. After several casual lessons, the instructor suggested I sit back and watch “So You Think You Can Dance”  on television... and dream. It might be the closest I would get to the dance floor. Over the years I think I have I  lost all my rhythm..and I was once a drummer in the band...

   You can see by my list that I am not looking to jump out of airplanes, unless it is safely on the ground  or climb the highest mountain in the world. I can barely hike up to the top of the local ski slope.  

   I have thought about writing a novel though, or play in an orchestra again and I think those may still be possible. But I can't waste too much more time thinking about it, because I don't know how much time I have left. 

    The lesson is simple. As you live life each day, every once and a while it's OK to step out of the box and do something a bit out of the character for yourself. Take the risk. Don't put it off until tomorrow. Time is getting short and life can present some unexpected events. Do you really want to go through life saying..."I wish I had done that." when you really could have! 
(Sorry for the bad joke. :)