In 1984 I did an Outward Bound Course, canoeing for 9 days in the Florida Everglades. During that course the Instructors asked us to journal about our lifetime goals. It was really the first time I had ever considered — I mean deeply considered — where I wanted to go in my life.
They didn’t call it a bucket list. But in many ways it was.
Scott’s 1984 Bucket List
Profession / Work Bucket List Items
- Work at a bar as a musician
- Be a U.S. Senator / Governor
- Author
- Be a psychologist at a major corporation
Personal Bucket List Items
- Develop & maintain a healthy body
- Possession of computer-related knowledge
- Become a backgammon expert
- Become a proficient organist
- Act as chairperson of FPIRG, Inc. for 1-2 terms
- Graduate college w/a high GPA
- Read all of Shakespeare’s works
- Read all of E. A. Poe’s works
- Have some original compositions published
- Write books / articles in the areas of: psychology, music, backpacking, and backgammon
- Make a record album
- Have “lots of” money…money…money
Family / Social Bucket List Items
- Raise a number (1-3) children
- Have some very close, very intense relationships
Recreational Bucket List Items
- Backpack complete AT, PCT trails through Alaska & Canada
- Travel around the world seeing everything & experiencing cultures in detail
I have revisited this list over the years and it has grown.
In 2016, my spouse and I created a bucket list for the second half of our lives. We each created our bucket list separately and then combined and prioritized them. This bucket list is still in process. The G-rated version is presented below in the original order I thought of it. My top five bucket list items are highlighted. (It is interesting to see how things have changed over the years — and some themes continue).
2016 Bucket List
- Re-develop piano proficiency
- Develop skill in guitar
- Yard art (weird homes inspired)
- Hike the The Dingle Way with Brian — Ireland
- Hike the Inca Trail with Brian – Peru
- Hike the John Muir Trail with Brian – California
- We do Civil War re-enacting
- We have a caboose on property that has electricity, heat and wifi
- Home is off grid (solar?)
- Cold frame vegetable garden
- We buy very little processed food — we make our own — from pizza to pies and cakes to pasta sauce and salsa to pickles and sauerkraut
- Our garden meets 75 percent of our food needs, and we freeze and can food for winter use
- herb garden
- Indulgent vacation in bora bora or tahiti — secluded island / over-water bungalo / gay friendly (not the maldives)
- Caribbean might also be an option; Saba, St. Barts, St. Martin, Puerto Rico —
- Burning Man once
- I am fluent in Spanish and French
- Refurbish a Scamp 13
- Not just visit but go off the beaten path in all the US National Parks
- We are good at Bocce Ball
- We have a Bocce Ball court
- Visit where my ancestors lived
- Take Graham genealogy back two more generations
- Party in Amsterdam
- 2 week trip at Gros Morne National Park – Canada
- Train trip across Canada
- Two summer houseboat vacations (Lake Powell, Dale Hollow Lake, Lake Lanier, Green River Lake)
- Hike the Highlands festival in September at Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia
- Banff National Park, Alberta
- Hike Shipwreck Coast / Shi Shi Beach, Olympic Peninsula, Washington
- Hike along the Great Wall of China
- Walk the Way of St. James via the French Way, Spain? With Brian?
- We hike Laugavegurinn / Fimmvörðuháls Pass, Iceland
- Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
- Spend a week (not counting travel) at Xcaret — Cancun Mexico
- Erie Canal cruise in a rented canal boat
- Learn to hang glide
- I hike the whole Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) when I am 60 – 6 month commitment
- Explore Hawaii
- Explore Alaska
- Do a road trip across America in our Scamp
- Build a labyrinth that is significant enough to be listed with the World-Wide Labyrinth Locator at http://labyrinthlocator.com
- Lots of wild birds — and peacocks running loose
- Tree house (not fancy)
- We have stuff made from our animals (eg., sweater, hat from alpaca or sheep)
- Tardis in the yard
- I drive a couple of old cars
- I am on Wikipedia
- 7-10 day road trip on Skyline Drive / Blue Ridge Parkway
- 2-3 week road trip on Route 66
- We raise bees and make our own honey
- I do much preserving, pickling, canning, distilling, including:
- salsa
- apple cider
- wine
- See the Macy’s parade
- See the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train
- We have a jacuzzi
- We have a sauna in the basement
- I am a soil and garden expert
- I have authored 100 books
- I have true friends
- geodesic dome greenhouse (http://geodesic-greenhouse-kits.com)
- We have no tolerations for our last 40 years
- I do a Pilgrimage with Pariyatti (http://www.pariyatti.org/Pilgrimage)
- Ginormous flag pole
- See the Tournament of Roses Parade
- Canoe the Connecticut the whole length of Vermont?
- I have a morning ritual that includes:
- stretching or yoga
- meditation
- running
- push ups
- sit ups
- writing
- We own a canoe
- 20-day Vipassana course?
- Do the Rickshaw Run (http://www.theadventurists.com/rickshaw-run/)