View Full Version : Bucket List
Do you have a bucket list? What is on it?
Teacher Terry
11-23-18, 2:13pm
Traveling to Ireland, Scotland and England. We have been to Italy and Poland twice each and had so much fun.
Gardenarian
11-23-18, 2:20pm
Nope.
Ultralight
11-23-18, 2:33pm
Nope.
Sounds fun! :) :) :)
Vacation in every one of the 50 US states. 16 to date.
Attend a NASCAR race at every track. 2 to date. (this goal was set just a few years ago in 2014.)
Ultralight
11-23-18, 2:42pm
Do you have a bucket list? What is on it?
I definitely have one, and several of the things on it are travel related.
1. Visit Brazil
2. Visit South Africa
3. Drive a camper van of some kind across Canada
4. Visit Asia (doesn't matter which nation, really)
5. Go deep sea fishing (maybe for shark)
6. Stay in a tiny house Air BnB for a week or two (preferably in the Pacific Northwest)
I would say that covers a bunch of them... Though I will say my list was longer but I checked some things off it.
I am curious of others, what things were on your bucket list but you completed them?
Ultralight
11-23-18, 2:43pm
Vacation in every one of the 50 US states. 16 to date.
State Collecting! Very cool travel goal. :)
iris lilies
11-23-18, 3:01pm
Not a bucket list anymore.
I would like to go to Morroco, SE Asia, India, The Baltics states in Europe. But if I do not make it there, oK.
It seems like the things I am now doing are things I have done before: am planning/ planting new big flower gardens, sm renovating and decorating a house, am joining in with new community organizations. What has worked for me in the past works for me now. I dont see any big “wow golly gee! “ moments but I expect many small, satisfying, and fun moments.
IL, I think we agree about travel. I do think of going to Ireland....but not horrified if I don't make it. One completed set of goals (you must have goals?) was to put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean from every state that touches it-did all but New York, then put my feet in each Great Lake. Did that. My husband keeps track of golf courses and has golfed all along the East Coast and is working on the Great Lake States, but that deep Mid West may stop us. We'll see. He likes to drive rather than fly, so it's still a goal.
I saw all the lower 48 states and still have some travel items on my list, but also some other things.
Finish the dishwashing from yesterday night.
iris lilies
11-23-18, 5:28pm
Yeah, I have a goal: it is to get up to 500 named iris cultivars in my garden. I dont have travel goals. I did have a sort of goal list in my mind for the past couple of years, and that was to visit places of my past. But after seeing Las Cruces NM and coming away with strongly ambivilent feelings as well as a recognition that it was the worst vacation in a while, I have backed off that.
I have not been to Paris or Italy and do not now care about that. if an easy opportunity opened up (such as direct flight from St. Louis to Paris) I might go.
I used to have specific travel goals. Then I realized that I enjoy reading about places and watching documentaries about places about as much as going there in person.
When I get somewhere, my favorite part is resting in the hotel and reading up online all about the place, and then visiting a few museums. The rest is just expensive travel in allergy inducing airplanes and non-dust-mite-proofed hotel rooms.
And then I think about how state and national boundaries are figments of human imagination.
Now buying my own small motor home and setting it up as my house is set up for allergy control - with full retirement and unlimited time - and a healthy budget - now that kind of travel appeals to me.
Ultralight
11-23-18, 8:45pm
Now buying my own small motor home and setting it up as my house is set up for allergy control - with full retirement and unlimited time - and a healthy budget - now that kind of travel appeals to me.
Very cool!
No bucket list. Just small everyday goals and a few long-range ones. I would like to do some US/Canada traveling but not really into going all over the world these days.
Teacher Terry
11-23-18, 9:33pm
Visiting Europe is very different than reading or watching it on the internet. So much better!
Now buying my own small motor home and setting it up as my house is set up for allergy control - with full retirement and unlimited time - and a healthy budget - now that kind of travel appeals to me.
My sister (in her mid-50's) and her wife retired about a year ago and bought a really nice, modest sized RV. They just finished a three month, 11,000 mile trip from CA to Maine and back. They had a fantastic time and loved having their own space/bed everywhere and being able to take their dog and cat with them.
ApatheticNoMore
11-23-18, 10:11pm
Nope. Because I doubt I'll care either way when I'm dead.
ToomuchStuff
11-24-18, 2:25am
Thought I would be dead by 30, so had a list as a kid that I long ago finished.
Ultralight
11-24-18, 7:38am
So what are some of the best bucket list things you completed?
I’ve been to Germany and the Netherlands. I did enjoy it. But about 80% of travel is mundane, or even a bit of suffering.
Due to the stress of allergies (pet dander, perfumes, second hand smoke) on people’s Clothing on the airplane, and the viruses shared, I had bronchitis like symptoms for most of my trip. I slept in places with dust mites in the bedding, so more allergies.
The memories 10 years later are of the good parts. But it’s a small percentage of the whole.
For me, reading and watching is just as good, and I stay healthy.
catherine
11-24-18, 7:46am
No bucket list.
Just to continue doing what I'm doing (enjoy family, enjoy hobbies, enjoy life) and leave myself open to anything new.
Liking back at my 57 years, the items that deserve bucket list designation:
Bike rides
Ice skating and roller skating
Talking with my kids/grandkids at age 2-6
Sitting outdoors talking with friends
Walking through the woods on my dad’s farm
Reading the 15-20 best books I’ve ever read
Studying genetics as an undergrad
Not things I would predict but it’s what stands out to me in hindsight.
Ultralight
11-24-18, 8:03am
Liking back at my 57 years, the items that deserve bucket list designation:
Bike rides
Ice skating and roller skating
Talking with my kids/grandkids at age 2-6
Sitting outdoors talking with friends
Walking through the woods on my dad’s farm
Reading the 15-20 best books I’ve ever read
Studying genetics as an undergrad
Not things I would predict but it’s what stands out to me in hindsight.
Very interesting selections!
happystuff
11-24-18, 8:24am
Went to see the movie with my best friend when it first came to theaters. Upon leaving, I had two items on my bucket list: 1- see (not necessarily meet) HH the Dalai Lama and 2 - see the Northern Lights. I've managed to see HHDL several times so seeing the Northern Lights remains.
Past experiences bucketlist worthy?
1. The time spent with Dad when he was dying. Storytelling, heartlfelt conversations. Being present at his last breath.
2. Caring for Mom along with my younger sister, for the 7 weeks from diagnosis to death. Storytelling, heartfelt conversations. Being present at her last breath.
3. Going to the Netherlands with Mom and Dad when I graduated from high school. Meeting all my family...grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins too numerous to count (100s of them). They said it was the best trip back of their lives because they got to show us "home" (we immigrated when I was a baby). They got to go places they had never been in their 38y there. They had a terrific time and so did we.
4. Marrying my HS sweetheart. 38y and happier than ever.
5. Watching my husband see the ocean for the first time ever when he was 19. (he had never left the state he was born in).
6. Snorkeling in Kauai with a girlfriend..those amazing fish. We spent hours at a time out in the ocean for 6 days. Loved the swimming too.
7. All of our family reunions. We have one every 5 years and started back in 1983. Such fun to hang out and get to know those nieces/nephews better and meet their children as the next generation goes. We had 34 people in 2015.
8. Hubby and I went to our Bowl game in 2017. It was great fun to be there and support our team. And a bonus: we got Lady Gaga tickets at the last minute. What a fabulous artist she is...her show was phenominal. It was a great impulse trip/expense. Such fun. And yes, we won!
While family times standout as most precious.....We enjoy all our traveling. Too much to list.
iris lilies
11-24-18, 9:53am
So what are some of the best bucket list things you completed?
—Stayed in Stuart Castle in Scotland for several nights, not once but twice. Scottish baronial architecture is my jam, and that castle is wonderfully restored. I walked around it when it was an empty wreck when I was 25 years old and I yearned to get inside. 20+ years later after a rich Canadian had purchased it and renovated it as a guest house, I got to stay in it
— a life of bulldogs
— met Paul Simon, the singer, had private conversation
—lived in a big city, and In a victorian townhouse
—visited many European city centres that originated in medieval times
Teacher Terry
11-24-18, 10:33am
Buying the house next door to my parents and living there for 14 years. We all had so much fun together. I helped my mom care for my dad after his stroke and she helped with the boys so I could go to college. Was really lucky to have my mom until the age of 89. She flew out every year and we did the same. We have been to all the states except for about 10. We want to go to the east coast and explore the states we haven’t seen before. We continue to love cruising so are taking a trip in February. Going to New Orleans 4 days early to explore. Was there 20 years ago.
It surprised me too ultralight.
Ultralight
11-24-18, 11:52am
—Stayed in Stuart Castle in Scotland for several nights, not once but twice. Scottish baronial architecture is my jam, and that castle is wonderfully restored. I walked around it when it was an empty wreck when I was 25 years old and I yearned to get inside. 20+ years later after a rich Canadian had purchased it and renovated it as a guest house, I got to stay in it
Very cool! :)
Ultralight
11-24-18, 11:56am
Completed things from my list:
1. Traveled to Uruguay
2. Traveled to Middle East
3. Caught several Fish Ohio (Crappie, Bluegill, Rock Bass, Channel Catfish, and Common Carp)
4. "Tandem maneuvers" (clearly a euphemism) during graduate school ;)
5. Lived in another country (Costa Rica) during college
I don’t believe in bucket lists. If you die before you finish them, are you a failure? If you finish them before you die, are you purposeless?
Just another reason for me to believe in the superiority of muddling through as a life strategy.
Teacher Terry
11-25-18, 10:32pm
No it’s things to look forward to. Doesn’t matter if you finish. In fact I think it’s best if you never finish the list.
I don’t believe in bucket lists. If you die before you finish them, are you a failure? If you finish them before you die, are you purposeless?
Just another reason for me to believe in the superiority of muddling through as a life strategy.
I don't really have a bucketlist per se'.....the discussion seemed to be about memorable events and future memorable events so I listed mine/ours. I won't be a failure if I don't see all 50 states.....I'll have the great memories of those I have visited however :cool:
This makes me recall that when I was in my late 20s I made a list of things I'd like to do before I became dust. One of the items was to live in Colorado which is now playing out. Another was to be a grandma - check. Another was to have chickens - lost that desire long ago. There were about 25 items. I stuck the list in a book entitled The Egg and I and the book got lost in a series of moves. Ironically, the book was about being married to a chicken farmer.
This makes me recall that when I was in my late 20s I made a list of things I'd like to do before I became dust. One of the items was to live in Colorado which is now playing out. Another was to be a grandma - check. Another was to have chickens - lost that desire long ago. There were about 25 items. I stuck the list in a book entitled The Egg and I and the book got lost in a series of moves. Ironically, the book was about being married to a chicken farmer.
I think they made a movie of it back in the forties.
Personally, whenever I read something I wrote in my twenties I cringe a little. That guy was ridiculous.
Float On
11-26-18, 10:41am
Do you have a bucket list? What is on it?
I keep a notebook of lists. When I'm waiting in line or for an appointments I'll pull it out and make a new list of 10. Might be 10 fruits I want to try or 10 places I want to visit. Also, every year on my birthday private retreat a big part of it is making my list for the year (it's whatever my age is so this February I'll make a new list and it'll have 52 items on it) but it's more things I really want to try to fit into the next year. Some things I bump from year to year like there are still 2 covered bridges in our state that I haven't made it to yet since I started doing this list thing at age 45. So an over all "this is my life long bucket list", no. I review my list monthly, it stays in my planner. I date and make a note when I get to mark through something on my list and can see if there is something I can fit in while planning the next month.
catherine
11-26-18, 10:56am
Just another reason for me to believe in the superiority of muddling through as a life strategy.
That strategy definitely has worked for me!
On vacation, DH's favorite activity is the meander. Just get in the car and... meander. Sometimes you have an adventure, and other times, just a nice ride. In any case, it's a great exercise in not only accepting what comes, but enjoying it. The purpose is in the meander.
I sort of think about what I would like to do if:
-time permits
-$$$$ permits
-curiosity arises
This is not a bucket list per se but an evolving list of things to do that come to mind throughout the year. Some things I had forgotten about and a memory triggered the "I wonder if it is possible to do now?"
That strategy definitely has worked for me!
On vacation, DH's favorite activity is the meander. Just get in the car and... meander. Sometimes you have an adventure, and other times, just a nice ride. In any case, it's a great exercise in not only accepting what comes, but enjoying it. The purpose is in the meander.
We do this too. We call it "A brown sign trip". Sometimes we end up in a hotel because we got so far away from home.:D
Me too LDAHL!
I was silly and naive and obsessive about writing in a diary daily when I was a kid. Cause dad said “write in this every day!” So I did. For about ten years. And it was boring cause I didn’t want to do it. So I made entries like this:
May 3, 1971
School. Homework. Piano practice. Bath. Bed.
Because I hated writing it all out when everyday was the same. But I had to write in it cause dad said so.
About 20 years ago I ceremoniously burned all of my diaries in a bonfire. I was raised in a family of curators. They saved everything and shamed us if we got rid of anything. When I was 8 they decided to cut my hair. So they made two braids, and cut the braids off. Then put the braids in a shoebox with tissue paper surrounding it. Like a coffin for the braids. I kept those silly things for decades cause of the shame in not feeling the sane nostalgia that my dad felt. Finally, after moving them several times, I threw them out when I was about 40.
And wouldn’t you know it - my parents asked me about them within the next year. I think I just let them talk and never confessed that I threw them out. So much guilt!
It was so much fun to burn those diaries.
I do mine on my birthday too Float On.
catherine
11-26-18, 6:50pm
I keep a notebook of lists. When I'm waiting in line or for an appointments I'll pull it out and make a new list of 10. Might be 10 fruits I want to try or 10 places I want to visit. Also, every year on my birthday private retreat a big part of it is making my list for the year (it's whatever my age is so this February I'll make a new list and it'll have 52 items on it) but it's more things I really want to try to fit into the next year. Some things I bump from year to year like there are still 2 covered bridges in our state that I haven't made it to yet since I started doing this list thing at age 45. So an over all "this is my life long bucket list", no. I review my list monthly, it stays in my planner. I date and make a note when I get to mark through something on my list and can see if there is something I can fit in while planning the next month.
That's a cool idea. But it's kind of daunting to make a list of things as long as my age.
Maybe simplify it to one per decade, so each year on birthday I'd come up with 6 big things to do that year. Until I turned 70, anyway.
Float On
11-27-18, 10:09am
That's a cool idea. But it's kind of daunting to make a list of things as long as my age.
It would be daunting if they all had to be huge things but I throw a lot of little treats to me in there. It's about making sure I spend time on me and recognize it as a gift to myself.
Teacher Terry
11-27-18, 1:54pm
I loved having a diary as a teen. However, I have long thrown away such things and will not leave anything written behind for someone to read.
Gardenarian
11-28-18, 2:53pm
I don't have a list because the things I hope to have done in this life are kind of amorphous. Like staying healthy and happy. Having a close relationship with DD. Creating meaningful stuff. Personal growth.
I could try and break these things down into smaller steps, but I guess that's not how my mind works.
catherine
11-28-18, 3:15pm
I loved having a diary as a teen. However, I have long thrown away such things and will not leave anything written behind for someone to read.
I've kept a diary since 1964. I consider it almost a historical artifact at this time. I have written about the assassinations of MLK and Bobby Kennedy and the walk on the moon and the Vietnam War and the hippie revolution all from the point of view of a teenager. It also serves as a timeline of my life for things that I forget about, and it's a tool for self-reflection because it's amazing to learn how your memory twists actual events, and even your feelings about them.
I would like to rip out the pages I wouldn't want my kids to read, but maybe type up an abridged version of the highlights, and then destroy the diaries themselves.
Gardenarian I have some of those big generalities too - help launch my son, care for my parents as they get older, age gracefully, die with dignity.
happystuff
11-29-18, 7:36am
I loved having a diary as a teen. However, I have long thrown away such things and will not leave anything written behind for someone to read.
I did a ritual burning of mine about 20 years ago. I still write every day, but more of generic and, hopefully, little that would cause unnecessary pain to anyone who might read.
Went to see the movie with my best friend when it first came to theaters. Upon leaving, I had two items on my bucket list: 1- see (not necessarily meet) HH the Dalai Lama and 2 - see the Northern Lights. I've managed to see HHDL several times so seeing the Northern Lights remains.
I found out the aurora borealis is visible from northetn Maine, but not until March. I would like to see it also.
iris lilies
12-1-18, 11:52am
We had our friends who recently visited Morroco over for dinner to show us their photos of that trip. I was genuinely interested in their trip because Morroco has been high on my list of places to visit, but I was feeling un excited about the desert and desert country.
After their review, I have ceossed Morroco off my list.they loved it but
I think I would find myself in Casa Blanca, and kinds regretting the money I spent to get there.
They are urging us to go with them to SE Asia on a Viking River cruise on the Mekong. Other than the the hot and humid weather there, I would love SE Asia. No deserts there. I really really am not a fan of desert country.
Gardenarian
12-4-18, 1:20am
It would be cool to go to Hawaii and learn how to surf.
Just a random desire that popped up 😊
At the beginning of each year I do a bucket list and 2021 was a real dud. I didn't achieve to the point of crossing off anything on my list, though I did chug along on some of the relationship ones such as care for my parents as they age. But nothing fun.
About half my items are carrying over to 2022 and some I am mixing up.
Teacher Terry
1-4-22, 2:21pm
Going to Ireland is on my list and I am going in June for 11 days .
iris lilies
1-4-22, 3:13pm
At the beginning of each year I do a bucket list and 2021 was a real dud. I didn't achieve to the point of crossing off anything on my list, though I did chug along on some of the relationship ones such as care for my parents as they age. But nothing fun.
About half my items are carrying over to 2022 and some I am mixing up.
One of my friends took care of her elderly mother for the last few years before she retired. Then my friend retired.
Then her mom died, leaving a disabled brother that my friend had to care for. Then the brother died.
she can travel and has the money to do so. She said several trips lined up. But now Covid. Thing is, she has her sights set on a couple of garden related European tours that take place only every 10 years. If she doesn’t make this one she may not make the next one.
Going to Ireland is on my list and I am going in June for 11 days .
How wonderful!!
Teacher Terry
1-11-22, 12:56am
Becky, I hope Covid doesn’t prevent the trip like it did 2 years ago.
gimmethesimplelife
1-11-22, 1:45am
We had our friends who recently visited Morroco over for dinner to show us their photos of that trip. I was genuinely interested in their trip because Morroco has been high on my list of places to visit, but I was feeling un excited about the desert and desert country.
After their review, I have ceossed Morroco off my list.they loved it but
I think I would find myself in Casa Blanca, and kinds regretting the money I spent to get there.
They are urging us to go with them to SE Asia on a Viking River cruise on the Mekong. Other than the the hot and humid weather there, I would love SE Asia. No deserts there. I really really am not a fan of desert country.Morocco for me was absolutely.exhausting but utterly.amazing and totally worth it. Tip: if.you.ever visit - and want to.avoid the exhausting markets; large tourist cities such as Marrakesh have government run.fixed price stores called Ensenble Artisinal. I.was able.to.browse rugs in.absolute peace which was wonderful. And I.made out better than some at my.riad (a Moroccsn guest house) who.spent.hours bickering with rug sellers.
Morocco was totally.worth it but I.will.admit that when my.return flight to.Austria landed in.Lisbon on.the way I was relieved. To be back in a world I am more familiar with. But I'd still go again. I'd love to see Rabat and Tangiers - but.not.just yet due to Covid. Rob
gimmethesimplelife
1-11-22, 1:50am
Side note - I'd avoid Casablaca - other than for last minute souvenirs. The gems are Tangier; Fez, and Rabat. There is s seaside city that starts with an.O.that is great for Argan oil and cut thuja wood boxes. Rob
iris lilies
1-11-22, 11:09am
Side note - I'd avoid Casablaca - other than for last minute souvenirs. The gems are Tangier; Fez, and Rabat. There is s seaside city that starts with an.O.that is great for Argan oil and cut thuja wood boxes. Rob
Those places sound so exotically interesting! Since our friends gave a thorough rundown on their trip, I decided not to go to Morroco. Not that it doesn’t intrigue me, but because it’s basically desert country, a topography I don’t like, and there are so many other places I want to go, I have to cross things off my list now because I am old And have limited time.
1. Soaking up the sun on a white sandy beach with aqua colored water like in the travel brochures.
2. Running another 1/2 Marathon, maybe a full marathon.
3. Visit United Kingdom - I have been there by dw hasn't been and it would be fun to go back.
4. 100 mile Cycling trip.
5. See the Redwoods (I live in the Pacific Northwest, but have never seen them).
6. Have time to volunteer for some worth while charity (or two).
happystuff
1-21-22, 9:40am
Every now and then I read someone's list and am able to say "Oh, I did that!" or "I've been there!". LOL.
When the movie came out, I only had two things on my life Bucket List: 1) see the Dalai Lama and 2) see the northern lights. I've seen the Dalai Lama a couple of times, so I'm down to wanting to see the northern lights. I consider anything and everything else just icing on the cake.
My one remaining key wish is to travel to the Northwest Territories. I have stepped in the oceans in BC and Newfoundland, as well explored the most southerly parts of Canada so there is just the most northerly part touching and seeing the Arctic. There are few tours that go there except in July and even they are very limited.
Covid shut down my trip to the Yukon and Alaska.
Greg44 volunteering is on my list also. I tried when unemployed but the nonprofits wanted strict schedules to be followed and it interfered with my interviewing. So I hope to do that when I retire.
Teacher Terry
1-21-22, 11:40pm
I have done a fair amount of volunteer work since retirement and am currently volunteering on our HOA board.
boss mare
1-22-22, 11:57pm
1. Soaking up the sun on a white sandy beach with aqua colored water like in the travel brochures.
2. Running another 1/2 Marathon, maybe a full marathon.
3. Visit United Kingdom - I have been there by dw hasn't been and it would be fun to go back.
4. 100 mile Cycling trip.
5. See the Redwoods (I live in the Pacific Northwest, but have never seen them).
6. Have time to volunteer for some worth while charity (or two).
For #4 the STP is going to be held this year. July 16th- 17th. Where I live is the halfway point.
boss mare
1-23-22, 12:01am
Seeing FLW Falling Water, The Spiral Jetty and Stiltsville are on the top of my list.
While I love traveling and know that actually visiting the sites is so rich in experience, zoom or virtual tours help reduce my bucket list. EG - I went on a 3 week south-west US bus tour and saw things like the desert, the Grand Canyon etc., that I would never want to miss the actual 'being there'. Egypt, Israel, European sites, BC and Newfoundland are so unbelievably unique, others not so much
I am finding that other places can be successfully toured virtually at my leisure without the disruption of planning and physically getting there, crowds, lining up everywhere and waiting your timed access and then coming back to catch up on the neglected responsibilities at home.
So, my bucket list has reduced in size. Machu Picchu, Panama, African safaris and others have been removed for this reason
happystuff
1-23-22, 12:33pm
That is one of the great benefits of the internet, razz. For me, however, seeing these places online seems to make me want to be there irl even more.
frugal-one
1-23-22, 3:08pm
While I love traveling and know that actually visiting the sites is so rich in experience, zoom or virtual tours help reduce my bucket list. EG - I went on a 3 week south-west US bus tour and saw things like the desert, the Grand Canyon etc., that I would never want to miss the actual 'being there'. Egypt, Israel, European sites, BC and Newfoundland are so unbelievably unique, others not so much
I am finding that other places can be successfully toured virtually at my leisure without the disruption of planning and physically getting there, crowds, lining up everywhere and waiting your timed access and then coming back to catch up on the neglected responsibilities at home.
So, my bucket list has reduced in size. Machu Picchu, Panama, African safaris and others have been removed for this reason
No…. Manchu Picchu and an African safari HAVE to be done in person! Virtual does not cut it in any way. I have not been to Panama so cannot expound on it. Both of these places should be on everyone’s bucket list IMO. Some European sites would be fine virtually… seen one castle … why go to another etc!
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