It’s January 12, and if you’re like me, you’ve already broken 87.4 percent of your New Year’s resolutions. But what about your bucket list? The thing I love about bucket lists is that you have a lifetime to achieve the items on that list. And while, in the back of our minds, we might realize that some of the things on our list are unattainable, still just having them on our list means fun times of dreaming and exploring new possibilities for our lives.
Here are a few things on my bucket list.
• I’ve never been to Europe. In fact, I haven’t traveled much at all outside the U.S., except for a cruise to Jamaica and Grand Cayman, and a quick jaunt over the border of Mexico on a trip to California. Since we have a son who lives in Berlin, I’m almost desperate to get over there to visit him. But financially, it just hasn’t been a possibility. One of my goals for when/if I ever do get to travel to Europe, is to stand in front of this house in York, England, where my great-great grandparents lived. Our family has photos of my grandfather and uncle standing there in the 1970s, my mom there a couple of decades later, and my sister and brother standing there about 5 years ago.
• Ken and I have been dreaming lately about living in a loft apartment overlooking the Mississippi River in Cape Girardeau near where both of our daughters live. Cape Girardeau is a town with such personality! After visiting there dozens of times over the years while our daughters attended college there (they both married men they met at Southeast Missouri State, and are now settled nearby with their husbands) I chose to set my Chicory Inn Novels series there. Of course, my real motivation to live there is three little grandsons. These are the views we’d have if we lived on the riverfront, and our dream loft below.
My stomping grounds while I teach a 2-week inter-term writing course. It’s been fun to be “back in college.”
• I left college to marry my husband, and soon after, we moved to New York where we lived for almost two years. I spent quite a few years regretting that I never got my degree. Then I discovered that a college degree wasn’t necessary to do what I’d always dreamed of doing for a living—write novels. Still, I always loved school, and if someday I could go back and get a degree, I know I’d enjoy every minute. I think it’s kind of cool that nearly every penny I’ve earned from my novels has gone to put our children through school, and as of a year ago last December, all four of our kids have their degrees.
And oh, joy! For the last two weeks, I’ve been doing what I always thought I’d need a degree to do: teaching a college inter-term course on Writing Women’s Fiction at Taylor University in Indiana. I’m having a blast! Sometimes bucket list wishes take an unexpected twist and get fulfilled in ways you never expected.
What’s on your bucket list? Have you gotten to check some things off? How has your list changed over the years?
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Years ago before bucket lists existed I used to dream of going to Florida. Originally I’m from Canada and Flordia seemed like a far off place. Especially during the winter. We got to Florida many times. Then it was California and we also got there. One dream I’ve always had was going to England to visit my relatives and that lovely country. We never realized that dream. We did buy airplane tickets for my parents to go however. But now we are both older and not in the best of health. Somethings are never to be but we can dream , can’t we?
Shirley
So true, Shirley. I’ve wondered many time: what if I never get to York, England? And I’ve concluded, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. It’s amazing we even live in an era that such travel is POSSIBLE. We can’t feel bad or have regrets if our bucket lists never get fulfilled. (I think Heaven will make up for just about anything we missed on this ol’ earth!) But like you said, we CAN dream, and sometimes half (or more) of the fun is in the dreaming!
Great post, Deborah. I like the idea of a bucket list instead of resolutions–which usually get broken. My bucket list used to include biking someplace exotic like Europe–and I got to do it last spring. But instead of getting it out of my system, it made me want to do it again! I hope you get to York someday.
Ah, that biking sounds wonderful, Lynn! And I can see how it might make you want to go again. I have a feeling England will be like that for me, should I ever be blessed to go! No reason a fulfilled bucket list item can’t stay right on the list for a repeat, right? 😉
I’m from Canada too Shirley! Great country, if I say so myself 😉 One of my greatest desires would be to travel, too. Israel would be one of the countries I’d really like to visit, along with France where I have some relatives.
I’m so grateful I live in an age when if we can’t actually travel to a place, there are plenty of resources for learning about it, seeing photos of it, and DREAMING of the day when we might be able to actually go.
I don’t really have a ‘bucket list” but visiting Scotland was a lifelong dream that I did not expect to ever fulfill. However, two years ago, I toured Scotland! Now going back is my dream!
Your “new” home is so beautiful and you are already dreaming of moving? lol Come on to southeast Missouri!
So glad you got to go to Scotland, Joan. I hope you DO get to go back! And that Missouri dream is a few years off, and if I could take our house with us, I sure would! Like all bucket list items, it may not happen. We have people we love so much here in Kansas, too! I’d be torn! But that dream helps me cope with being so far from our grandkids. Meanwhile we visit them every chance we get, and hope to see them next weekend, in fact. 🙂
As far as life dreams go I was able to finish college after my hubby and I were married. I taught ECE and was a Marriage/Family counselor while taking care of my family. Our travel dreams were blessed when hubby’s parents lived in England for a few years and we were able to visit England, Scotland and France. Now that my hubby can no longer fly we are trying to see as much of the US as we can. We’ve taken 3 major road trips across the States. This next year we are actually thinking of a trip up the coast, into Canada and to Alaska. There are still a few things on my list and I’m not giving up hope, yet. 🙂
That’s awesome you were able to go to England when your in-laws were there, Lori. I’m hoping we can go while our oldest son still lives in Germany and can be our tour guide. He’s done quite a bit of traveling through Europe and as a bonus, he’s a fantastic photographer, so I feel like I’ve sort of gotten to see all those places through his “eyes.” I agree, Lori: not giving up hope!
I pray that you get to make that trip, Deborah. It is much easier when you have family or friends to stay with and they can be your tour guide.
Thank you, Lori! So true.