The Day I Made My Bucket List

Several years ago I was experiencing excruciating pain and fatigue. I remember standing in our kitchen weeping when I should have been preparing dinner but my arms and hands hurt so badly that the mere thought of prepping food made my head spin. Not too long after that, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. When we first got the diagnosis, I remember David coming to me one day and gently telling me he thought I should make a bucket list so that we could focus on crossing items off the list before my body wasn’t able to tackle some of the items anymore. I remember feeling shocked by his request. I hadn’t been given a terminal diagnosis, but his intentions were so sweet. He simply wanted us to be intentional about doing things that we really wanted to do before the opportunity was gone, if in fact my body continued to deteriorate.

I never sat down and made a formal bucket list. Whenever I tried, I simply had trouble coming up with things. Sure, I love to travel and explore, but we’ve been blessed to be able to do a fair amount of traveling over the years, so if I couldn’t take another trip, I was content. I couldn’t think of any major activities I just had to do or places that I had to go. I was content.

I thought about the hobby I enjoyed doing. I loved making scrapbooks from the gazillion photos I’ve taken over the years. I had a few girlfriends that would get together occasionally to make personalized scrapbooks for their kids. When my hands and arms started hurting so badly, I had to quit doing this. After my diagnosis, I found online resources that make digital scrapbooks that you can have printed. So, for the past few years, I’ve tried to keep up with making a few of these so I can still share our memories with family and friends.

Our family has recently experienced the heartbreak of losing some people close to us. I guess it’s got me thinking again about that stinkin’ bucket list again. I don’t think I need to write down a long list of things, but I’ve been reminded of the importance of being intentional. Every week goes by so quickly and before I know it, a month or two has gone by without giving much thought to anything other than the regular day to day things that need to be tackled. If there’s a place we’d like to see or something we’d like to do, I think we need to be sure to intentionally plan to experience it or life might slip through our fingers like sand and before we know it the chance to do those things might be gone.

Do I want to learn to play the piano? See Alaska or ride a mule to the bottom of the Grand Canyon? Do I want to cruise around the world? Go on a family vacation with our extended families or volunteer at Make-A Wish? Do I want to learn how to can vegetables or learn how to paint? The possibilities are endless, yet our days are not. If I don’t make the conscious effort to put these dreams on my To-Do List, they might never get accomplished. If our end of days on this earth comes before we’re ready will I still be content?

So, I’m going to try to sit down by myself and then alongside my hubby and I’m going to try to jot down a few things for a potential bucket list. I don’t want the opportunities to pass on by without at least trying to do something about it. I challenge you to do the same.

What are some of the items on your list?