My Bucket List Is Empty

Do you have a “Bucket List”?

You know: That list of things you must do/want to do before you die?

Lots of people have one. But I never really did.

And I don’t now, even as I slide into my 70s.

Yes, this would likely be the time I would be wrapping up my Bucket List, or at least be well on my way to doing so.

But I’m not.

I think most people who have a Bucket List are likely those who put off having fun all through their working years, preferring to keep saving money and waiting until retirement to go spend it on whatever: Some crazy or silly adventure, or simply traveling the world to see as much of it as they can afford.

As I lived my life, I had the philosophy of pursuing my dreams while there were dreams to pursue.

I left my home and ventured out into The World many times in my 20s – before I got married and started a family. But even after that, I didn't really hesitate to take a sudden left turn when the spirit moved me and go live somewhere else to see if what I was seeking was there instead of where I was.

I admit that got harder with the addition of kids, but we still managed to make it happen.

It helped that I had a wife who understood I had to follow my dreams, and who remained at my side through thick and thin. So we bounced from Iowa to Colorado to California and back to Colorado again.

And then we bounced from the city to the mountains, where we found our own Personal Nirvana that lasted 27 amazing years.

Which showed me that – by continuing to pursue what many would have called a “silly dream” – it was actually the right thing to do. Yes, my career probably took a hit by not digging in and staying in one place all my life, and certainly I’d have more money in the bank and be drawing a bigger Social Security check now if I had.

But I don’t regret any of it.

And there have certainly been many Bucket List-types of things I’ve done along the way.

I traveled to England – alone – when I was 20 to try to meet The Beatles and maybe live there (but I didn’t stay more than a couple of weeks).

I traveled to California several times while I was still unmarried to live “the California Life,” but never stayed more than a few months.

I traveled to Costa Rica in my early 40s with the idea of starting an “ecotourism” business, but that never went anywhere – probably because I was too lazy to learn Spanish.

My wife and I started a couple of businesses that ultimately failed, but we had a good time trying to make them succeed.

The Bottom Line is I’ve never needed a Bucket List because I didn’t wait for everything in my life to be just right before taking the plunge.

And now, with more life behind me than ahead, I’m OK with NOT having a Bucket List. I’ve visited every state and country that I wanted to see, done everything I wanted to do, and now I’m content to just live a quiet, happy life in a beautiful place surrounded by friends and family.

And isn’t that the single best Bucket List item anyone could hope to achieve?

I think so.