HAVE THE TEE-SHIRT

Posted by R. Ann Siracusa

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, NOT DOING IT AGAIN.

Our December theme has, no doubt, a slightly different meaning to each of us, depending on age and where we are in our lives.

In my late teens and early twenties, I would have immediately thought about bad dates—like the guy who had snot in his moustache and didn't know it, then tried to kiss me. We only dated once.

In my late twenties, it would have been a declaration that I'm not going to have more children. And I didn't. Three were plenty to keep me in a state of constant agitation. At one point, I did bring up the subject of having another baby. My husband replied "maybe" and then waited until I went bonkers over something one of the kids had done to agree to have another child. That closed the discussion for at least five years. By then I'd come to my senses—or maybe I was menopausal—and we never mentioned it again.

My thirties and forties were dedicated to my work as an architect/urban planner and my family, which included dealing with a son who had 40 turtles and a room full of snakes. I even learned to give them shots. Then, of course, there was riding motorcycles in the desert. I even raced a few desert races and made part of the Barstow to Las Vegas ride once. Never doing that again.

Now, I'm old as dirt, and the theme immediately translates those words into "Bucket List". The things I want to do before I—excuse the cliché—kick the bucket. That's not the same list as the things I need or ought to do, such as clean out my office and my garage, and throw away seven or eight boxes of drafts manuscripts of novels (some of which should never see the light of day).

THE BUCKET LIST

When I Googled the origin of the term Bucket List, I was surprised to read statements like the following on http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/. "I'm not sure I had even heard the term bucket list until the movie came out."

I don't think so!

What planet do these people live on? I'm sure the term harkens to a much earlier date than 2007 when the movie The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman came out. I have no idea where I heard it or when, but I've had a Bucket List (called by that name) since 1993 when I went to Egypt.

According to June Thomas, Kicking the bucket, the phrase used light heartedly to refer to dying—and most likely, the origin of the more recent term Bucket List—has been used since 1785. It's not much of a stretch to come up with the idea of the Bucket List.

Bucket metaphors have been used in the computing industry (and there for in technical literature) since the 1960s, often referring to algorithms for a way of sorting data, called a bucket sort. A bucket or bin may be used to refer to a buffer, or place to discretely distribute data, and can be of fixed size.

How it got transferred to the current terminology is debatable, but many references credit Justin Zackham, screenwriter of The Bucket List as the originator. Personally, I don't believe that, but no one asked me, either.

THE KUDOS LIST

In my research, I discovered that more people than I thought find the reference to a Bucket List either offensive or depressing. I agree in a way. It definitely implies time is running out. On the other hand, the people who have Bucket Lists are usually doing things and crossing them off the list. That's a positive.

I've decided to focus not on what I haven't done but all the things I have done, and call it my Kudos List. Items fall into two categories: Let me Try That One More Time and No Thanks, Never Again. Things I wouldn't do again are, in most cases, because physically I'm unable, not unwilling.

Let Me Try That One More Time

●Hot Air Ballooning

                                                 ●White water rafting on various rivers

●Dog Sledding in Alaska

●Trekking on Shennong Stream, China

 ●Cruising the Amazon fishing for Piranhas 

 ●Climbing to the Acropolis, Greece

 ●Ogling ice bergs & glaciers in Antarctica

No Thanks, Never Again

●Racing motorcycles in the desert

●Para Sailing in Cabo

●Riding camels in Egypt

 

●Riding elephants in Africa and India

●Getting lost in the Medina in Tangiers, Morocco

I wouldn't want to do this again ever. Able but unwilling.

  ●Climbing Machu Picchu, Peru

 ●Climbing the Great Wall in China

 ●Zip Lining in Puerto Vallarta,Mexico

PLACES TO GO, PEOPLE TO MEET, THINGS TO DO

There are still many places I want to go and things I want to see. The next trip on my schedule is to Australia, the seventh continent and the only one I haven't visited.

The last two activities are sky diving and bungee jumping. I'm saving those until I'm ninety. Then if something happens, it really won't matter.

WHAT'S THE MOST EXCITING THING ON YOUR LIST?

Trust me. Do it now! There will never be a perfect time, and you many never get the chance again. The things people most regret in life seem to be the thing they didn't do rather than the things they did do. 

Leave a comment about whether or not you have a Bucket List or about the most exciting thing you've done or want to do.

R. ANN SIRACUSA

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