So far, I've had a rich, full life. The term "bucket list" didn't really exist when I was in grad school, but if I were to have made one back then, it would have looked pretty much like my life so far has turned out. I've seen the Northern Lights, and the tropical "green flash" at sunset. I've rafted down the Grand Canyon and hiked across the continental divide in the Rockies. I've touched the ancient stones in Jerusalem and Stonehenge, and viewed the modern launch of the space shuttle. I've lived in big cities and remote rural areas, at different times alone and together with my family and in a group. I've been up in a small plane and down, if not to the bottom of the ocean, at least to 100 feet. I've seen quiet dawns and storms at sea and shooting stars and arcing dolphins. I've loved, and lost, and celebrated joyously and railed against death, as every has who's been fortunate enough to have friends and family they care deeply about. I've been lucky enough that I haven't experienced long-term poverty or serious illness. But basically, with the exception of travel to a few places I still want to experience (Amsterdam, Australia, the Antarctic, Alaska, and Scotland), I've pretty much completed my bucket list.
I recently read an article that said that because life expectancies are getting longer, that 60 is the new 40 because you still have a good number of healthy years left. And though I don't feel as agile as I did when I was 40, I also don't have the financial pressures I did then, so all-in-all it's been a good trade for me.
But remember my New Year's resolution to Have More Adventures? Looks like I'm gonna need a longer bucket list!
I've always wanted to travel to Jerusalem - that must have been amazing adventure!
ReplyDeleteIt mostly was. I bought a pair of biblical-looking sandals and tried to walk everywhere Jesus had walked, looking for "God". In the end, I learned that you have to find it within yourself.
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