These days when people mention bucket list it's more like a list of experiences that with enough time and money may be ticked off one by one. I was in university when I came up with my bucket list. In a conversation with Marie Grace she said to me that there are only two guaranteed ways to be remembered even after we are dead. One is to have a child, the other was to write a book. Those would be good on my bucket list. So over the conversation I arrived at my bucket list in no particular order:
- have [and raise] a child
- write a book
- learn to fly a plane
- learn to scuba dive
- learn to ride a horse
- travel the world
- climb a mountain
- learn a new language
- learn to dance
- learn to sail
Over the decades I have ticked off all but two*. I noticed that it was skills and accomplishments that are on the list. I logged over 30 hours flying a Beechcraft Skipper, 12 of them solo. I was satisfied that I had accomplished what I set out to do. Also, maintaining a pilots license current wouldn't be cheap and I had more to do yet. So I traded my David Clark flex boom headset with gel-filled earseals for a Shoei racing helmet (I needed one to go on the track with my WRX). My flying days are behind me and I was okay with that.
Today I parted with my Cressi BCD, Mares regulator and occy and Oceanic Dive computer. My diving days are behind me. I must have done over 50 dives, filled up two logbooks, never bothered to buy the third. I am satisfied that I have met this achievement. Besides, I could always hire gear when I go again. Having my personal gear was nice but not essential. It was time to let them go to a new adventurer for fresh adventures. Now I feel so much lighter.
The thing is, earlier in my life as I was scything my way through the bucket list, the thought occurred to me. Why not just keep adding to the list? It was a young man who came up with the list while goo-goo eyed over some co-ed. He thought 10 was a good number (digits, toes, commandments, etc.) and seemed achievable in a lifetime. In the end I decided against topping up the list as it felt like cheating, and potentially the hard ones will get skipped over in favour of easier ones.
However, if we accomplish all, we can certainly come up with a new list.
There's some stuff I've hung on to like my parka and snow pants, because I don't ever want to hire those. Snowboarding wasn't even on the list, but that didn't stop me trying it anyway. There's a heap of stuff I could have added to the list, but never got the chance. Doing hot laps at Oran Park and Eastern Creek would have snuck in, being in a feature film with a speaking role, being a chef, etc.
That young man was limited. He'd be blown away with what we've accomplished thus far, as well as laugh at what we've fucked up. It would be nicer if I could tell him we've done it all as well as the bonus achievements**.
*It's down to becoming an author and a horse rider.
**Might have to explain that to someone from 1984.
