As I lost weight, I felt energized and like I could accomplish anything. Of course, I had heard of bucket lists before this but I thought it was a good time to make one. One day, sitting on my bed in my lovely master bedroom that had a fantastic view of the mountains of Cedar City, I made a quick list of things I had never done but wanted to. On top of the list was to visit Paris. I had recently dreamed that I had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and the only thing I wanted to do before dying was travel to Paris. I woke up from the dream realizing that going there was something more important to me than a passing fancy. I listed a bunch of other things like shoot a gun, catch a fish, see a Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas, ride in a limo, paint a picture, hike Angel's Landing, and write a book.
My bucket list resides on my phone and has two sections. When I accomplish an item, I move it from the bottom section to the top section and then put the date I accomplished it on the same line. I then add a new item to the bottom section. This way, I will always have something to shoot for.
So far, I have accomplished 14 items from my bucket list and have 11 that haven't been. The most recent item to be completed was earning a graduate degree. I graduated from Weber State University on April 25, 2014, with a Master's of Taxation. Admittedly, when I added earning a graduate degree on my bucket list, I didn't really think I'd do it. It was sort of a lofty item to counterweigh the easier items of shooting a gun, catching a fish, and running a 5k (which I still haven't done). So, to be able to move it to my accomplished section felt really good. It ranks with going to Paris, skydiving, and loving one man with all my heart (I know, it's cheesy, but it was on of the items I thought would be the hardest to finish - I didn't know it would be completed within a year) as being the most meaningful completions to date. Well, that and having a baby, which wasn't on my bucket list until I got pregnant, so it was kind of a cheating item. smile.
I hope to accomplish at least two more items on my bucket list this year. Steve has told me that for my birthday we are doing something that will complete one item but he won't tell me what it is. There are a few it could be, so I'm really excited. I'm also working on painting a picture, one of the few remaining original bucket list items. Steve gave me three paint-by-number pictures for Christmas and I've slowly been working on one since March. It was hard finding time with school and everything, but I hope to work on it more now that I'm done with school. And yes, I do consider paint-by-numbers to be painting a picture. Smile.
I love having a bucket list. It doesn't control my life, but it's a tangible reminder of the things I want to do in life - both big things and small things.
If you have a bucket list, will you share items from it with me? If you don't have one, are there still things you have always wanted to do that you're working on accomplishing or hope to do someday?