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

  1. Work at a bar as a musician
  2. Be a U.S. Senator / Governor
  3. Author
  4. Be a psychologist at a major corporation

Personal Bucket List Items

  1. Develop & maintain a healthy body
  2. Possession of computer-related knowledge
  3. Become a backgammon expert
  4. Become a proficient organist
  5. Act as chairperson of FPIRG, Inc. for 1-2 terms
  6. Graduate college w/a high GPA
  7. Read all of Shakespeare’s works
  8. Read all of E. A. Poe’s works
  9. Have some original compositions published
  10. Write books / articles in the areas of: psychology, music, backpacking, and backgammon
  11. Make a record album
  12. Have “lots of” money…money…money

Family / Social Bucket List Items

  1. Raise a number (1-3) children
  2. Have some very close, very intense relationships

Recreational Bucket List Items

  1. Backpack complete AT, PCT trails through Alaska & Canada
  2. 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

  1. Re-develop piano proficiency
  2. Develop skill in guitar
  3. Yard art (weird homes inspired)
  4. Hike the The Dingle Way with Brian — Ireland
  5. Hike the Inca Trail with Brian  – Peru
  6. Hike the John Muir Trail with Brian – California
  7. We do Civil War re-enacting
  8. We have a caboose on property that has electricity, heat and wifi
  9. Home is off grid (solar?)
  10. Cold frame vegetable garden
  11. 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
  12. 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 — 
  13. Burning Man once
  14. I am fluent in Spanish and French
  15. Refurbish a Scamp 13
  16. Not just visit but go off the beaten path in all the US National Parks
  17. We are good at Bocce Ball
  18. We have a Bocce Ball court
  19. Visit where my ancestors lived
  20. Take Graham genealogy back two more generations
  21. Party in Amsterdam
  22. 2 week trip at Gros Morne National Park – Canada
  23. Train trip across Canada
  24. Two summer houseboat vacations (Lake Powell, Dale Hollow Lake, Lake Lanier, Green River Lake)
  25. Hike the Highlands festival in September at Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia
  26. Banff National Park, Alberta
  27. Hike Shipwreck Coast / Shi Shi Beach, Olympic Peninsula, Washington
  28. Hike along the Great Wall of China
  29. Walk the Way of St. James via the French Way, Spain?  With Brian?
  30. We hike Laugavegurinn / Fimmvörðuháls Pass, Iceland
  31. Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
  32. Spend a week (not counting travel) at Xcaret — Cancun Mexico
  33. Erie Canal cruise in a rented canal boat
  34. Learn to hang glide
  35. I hike the whole Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) when I am 60 – 6 month commitment
  36. Explore Hawaii
  37. Explore Alaska
  38. Do a road trip across America in our Scamp
  39. Build a labyrinth that is significant enough to be listed with the World-Wide Labyrinth Locator at http://labyrinthlocator.com
  40. Lots of wild birds — and peacocks running loose
  41. Tree house (not fancy)
  42. We have stuff made from our animals (eg., sweater, hat from alpaca or sheep)
  43. Tardis in the yard
  44. I drive a couple of old cars
  45. I am on Wikipedia
  46. 7-10 day road trip on Skyline Drive / Blue Ridge Parkway
  47. 2-3 week road trip on Route 66
  48. We raise bees and make our own honey
  49. I do much preserving, pickling, canning, distilling, including:
    • salsa
    • apple cider
    • wine
  50. See the Macy’s parade
  51. See the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train
  52. We have a jacuzzi
  53. We have a sauna in the basement
  54. I am a soil and garden expert
  55. I have authored 100 books
  56. I have true friends
  57. geodesic dome greenhouse (http://geodesic-greenhouse-kits.com)
  58. We have no tolerations for our last 40 years
  59. I do a Pilgrimage with Pariyatti (http://www.pariyatti.org/Pilgrimage)
  60. Ginormous flag pole
  61. See the Tournament of Roses Parade
  62. Canoe the Connecticut the whole length of Vermont?
  63. I have a morning ritual that includes:
    • stretching or yoga
    • meditation
    • running
    • push ups
    • sit ups
    • writing
  64. We own a canoe
  65. 20-day Vipassana course?
  66. Do the Rickshaw Run (http://www.theadventurists.com/rickshaw-run/)