1.
Play the tuba with a marching band in a
half-time show.
2.
Learn to play baseball, including outfield
and infield but not catcher.
3.
Learn to play tennis, both singles and
doubles.
4.
Learn to golf without swearing too much.
Break 90 at least once.
5.
Learn to swim, including mastery of the
sidestroke (in case the cruise ship sinks).
6.
Learn to ski, but don’t take the wrong
chair lift to the top of the advanced slope after only three runs on the beginner’s
hill.
7.
Learn to sail, even if the power-boaters
make fun of you. Perform a single-handed jibe (without causing damage to the
boom) at least once.
8.
Play the timpani for a performance of
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
9.
Live in a European City for a year (or
thereabouts).
10. Cross
into East Berlin through “Checkpoint Charlie.” Return without getting arrested.
11. Hike
the Chilkoot Trail, maybe twice because it’s pretty awesome.
12. Build
a snow cave and sleep in it at least one night before retreating to the RV.
13. Become
president of a small business. Embrace the hostile business environment and
crushing personal risk for a minimum of 15 years.
14. Design
a major building—or maybe a couple dozen, depending on the length of survival
(see above). Don’t forget to collaborate.
15. Run
a half-marathon in under 8-minutes per mile, even if it damages your knees and
you never run again.
16. Marry
someone for love, even if she is occasionally hard to live with.
17. Adopt
at least two children.
18. Attend
marriage counseling without walking out of a single session.
19. Write
the “Great American Novel,” especially if not one literary agent wants to read
it.
20. Travel
to a minimum of 20 countries, including places a little out-of-the-way like Australia
or South Africa or maybe Russia.
There you have it. I may
change the list from time to time, but I think there’s plenty of work to do to
accomplish these items. I thought of adding “become a whiskey snob,” but I’m so
close to accomplishing this that it didn’t seem appropriate for a bucket list.
Please let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you.