My Bucket List

The other day, I looked up the Queen Elizabeth's very rigorous itinerary. It was then that I decided to go and see her when she's in Toronto next week. No real reason to do so except that I can. After all she's 84. I have not made the effort during any of her previous 22 visits to Canada. Life got in the way. Now, there aren't likely to be that many more opportunities. My husband (the American), refrained from making an anti monarchist statement, but asked whether this was on my bucket list. "Hmmm", I said. "No, but I could add it."

This got me thinking about "Bucket Lists". What is the appropriate protocol for creating this? Are you allowed to keep adding things to your bucket list? What if you run out of stuff, have done it all and aren't dead? Is that a problem? So here is the beginning of my list. It is by no means complete and not in order of preference. Some items are fun, some a little more serious.

I haven't included on my list such activities as rock climbing, ocean kayaking, hot air ballooning, white water rafting, helicopter flight, roller blading/ ice skating on a ship, scuba diving, sharpshooting, archery, driving on the Mosport race track, raising poultry or picking dew worms. I've done that. It also doesn't contain bungee jumping or eating maggots. I won't do that.

Here's what I have so far, in no particular order.

Write my own eulogy (I want it to be good)
Walk around wearing a boa (over my clothes) but not in Oshawa because it's normal there
Go out with a man who is wearing a tuxedo (hmmm....any offers?)
Line up and get one of the free Honest Ed holiday turkey giveaways (too late boohoo)
Go from Florida to the Bahamas in a hovercraft
Go look at the Queen or go see Queen (whichever opportunity arises)
See the Mona Lisa (the one in the Louvre, not my friend Mona Lisa in Courtice) and go to other assorted European galleries   (been to Paris and saw the Louvre...just as good)
See something Gaudi
Go to the Quebec Winter Carnival and see Bonhomme
Go to the Rose Bowl Parade or get someone to give me a bowl of roses during a parade
Take a river cruise (preferrably on one that's not overflowing or dried up)
Write something that gets published (blogs and church newsletters don't count)  A year and a half of newspaper columns did it.
Ride on the Trans Siberian Railway
Walk on every street in Cobourg ( I'm getting there)
See the final episode of "As The World Turns" (this may come sooner than anticipated...see previous blog)
See a live World Series game (preferrably with Blue Jays in it)
See at least 5 things on the list of "World's Largest" (I think I've seen the world's largest goose so far if it's in Wawa)
Organize a photo album for each of my kids (so they remember the great things I did for them)
Paint some pictures (I've done walls, now on to smaller things)
Take a university course
Learn cake decorating (I have a burning desire to find out what fondant is)
Be a mystery shopper
Take a flower arranging course
See my kids successful, married etc. (perhaps I should settle for finished school and employed)
Go to the WLU 50th alumni reunion in 2020
Attend the hot air balloon festival in New Mexico
Go to the Kentucky Derby, wear a hat and drink a mint julep
Enter a contest - writing or photo/Win a contest (lotteries count)
Go to "The Gun Store" in Las Vegas and fire an unusual weapon
Live in a houseboat
Go to misc. festivals -Toronto film, authors
Attend a Canadian (or other) figure skating competition
Ride a segway
Go see a groundhog on Feb. 2....Wiarton or Pux..er...you know
See some live local and non local t.v. shows - Battle of the Blades, Cityline too late for Oprah but maybe Letterman or Ellen
Visit these places: Galapagos, Dubai, Antarctica (not on foot, maybe a cruise), NZ/Australia, Africa (pyramids and wildlife), Mediterranean, Newfoundland (Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour) done, summer 2015 , Quebec Winter Carnival (J'aime Bonhomme), Iceland, South Seas, Thailand, Japan.

I believe that the point of a bucket list is to write down your intentions in order to organize ideas, plan and visualize what you are going to do. It may be similar to the "mental rehearsal" done by athletes, the agendas kept by students, business people and others, and the "to do" lists of many homemakers. The act of creating this, helps to clarify desires in one's mind. On the other hand, it might only be a list of dreams. I think I might have enough dreams on my very substantial list to keep me busy for a few years. I am excited to whittle away at it. I certainly hope to get through a lot of items before I take "the great dirt nap" but just in case, perhaps I'd better get started on the first component of the list in the not too distant future.