Sunday, September 23, 2012

Checking off the bucket list

This is a random post that was sparked by a conversation my husband and I were having earlier. My older brother told me anyone who runs out of things on their bucket list doesn't have a long enough list. I don't have a list at all. So, I looked at 1,000 things to do before you die and started checking off which ones, of the ones I would like to have done, I had already finished. There were some that did not interest me at all, like learn fly-fishing. Here is what I got before I got bored, in random order


  1. Go camping
  2. Visit a Renaissance fair
  3. Run a 5K
  4. Run a 10K
  5. Complete a walk against cancer
  6. Learn to ride a bike
  7. Learn to rollerblade
  8. Go canoeing
  9. Go kayaking
  10. Go tubing
  11. Learn to play racquetball
  12. Play soccer
  13. Learn how to ice skate
  14. Learn how to swim
  15. Swim in the ocean
  16. Swim in a race
  17. Learn judo
  18. Become a black belt
  19. Learn wrestling
  20. Learn Spanish
  21. Study in a foreign country
  22. Go to a jazz club in New Orleans
  23. Go snorkeling
  24. Jump from a cliff into deep water
  25. Break a Guinness world record
  26. Sleep in anovernight train
  27. Swim with dolphins
  28. Visit the San Diego Zoo
  29. Ride a camel
  30. Ride an elephant
  31. Adopt a pet from an animal shelter
  32. See a koala bear
  33. See whales in the ocean
  34. See the sun rise over the Grand Canyon
  35. See the northern lights
  36. Visit Yosemite National Park
  37. Go the Everglades
  38. Hike in a rain forest
  39. See Death Valley
  40. See the Parthenon
  41. See Big Ben in London
  42. Visit Notre Dame Cathedral
  43. See the Cologne Cathedral
  44. Visit the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York
  45. Go to the Smithsonian Museums in D.C
  46. Go the National Gallery of Art in DC
  47. Visit the Field Museum in Chicago
  48. Go to the Getty Museum
  49. Live in a foreign country for six months
  50. Ride a boat in Hong Kong harbor
  51. Go to the Bahamas
  52. Attend a Japanese tea ceremony in Tokyo
  53. Climb up the statue of liberty
  54. See the Mona Lisa
  55. Visit the Hershey Factory in Pennsylvania
  56. Ride a steamboat down the Mississippi
.... then I got bored. My two conclusions are that a) most people's bucket lists seem to consist of staring at a lot of stuff - yeah, the Mona Lisa is cool and so is Notre Dame cathedral and 900 other things I could list, but still, it seems there should be more to life than looking at stuff - even if it is really beautiful amazing stuff 

and b) a lot of stuff on people's bucket lists are not that hard. I learned to swim and ice skate before kindergarten. 

I was also intrigued by what some people have on their lists. "Before I die, I want to collect Pez dispensers."

Ri-ight.

 I've done a lot of stuff and don't really feel like I have that much unfinished business. 


I'm not sure what is on my bucket list. It is definitely not "Become an early riser" or "Take make-up lessons with a make-up specialist."

Do YOU have a bucket list? Do you think that it's important to have one? If you do have one, what is on it?
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7 comments:

  1. FanScreenplaySeptember 24, 2012 at 6:54 AM

    This gave me an idea of having 30 day challenges which can be used to have an interesting life. You can get one off the bucket list and challenge yourself to finish that one within 30 days. That way each year doesn't seem like it just passed by very quickly.

    I will get myself a journal/diary about them too.

    But of course we also have to focus on work that is meaningful to us. The bucket list is just a bonus.

    By the way, I will scratch off the 5k 10k run idea because marathons are not good for your health according to the PACE express system. Sprints are better.

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  2. jcpSeptember 24, 2012 at 8:11 AM

    When most people get to the age to consider making a bucket list, becoming a Judo world champion is off the table. I think learning Judo at 40 years + is plenty hard enough to be bucket list worthy.. although I do seem to stair at the ceiling from the flat of my back a lot :)

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  3. Dr. AnnMariaSeptember 25, 2012 at 1:23 AM

    That 30-day challenge is a great idea.
    I actually enjoyed running the 5K and 10K but since I've had my knee replaced I'm hesitant to run as much.

    I'm working on a second game that is tangential to the main computer game we are writing. I think that will be my first 30-day challenge.

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  4. SylverSeptember 26, 2012 at 1:27 AM

    I plan on making a bucket list before my time is up.

    Hey, isn't that self-fulfilling?

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  5. dsimon3387September 27, 2012 at 6:51 PM

    Would like to finish my PHD.

    Would love to trip one more time on some really good shrooms,

    Would like to eat Zabar's Sour Cream and Herring with Onions a few more times.



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  6. Dr. AnnMariaSeptember 27, 2012 at 11:57 PM

    Sylver -
    So your bucket list is "make bucket list" ?

    You're done.

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  7. AnonymousNovember 25, 2012 at 3:04 PM

    To have Dr. AnnMaria dislocate my elbow ... well, not really. Too many people already belong to that club.

    ReplyDelete