51st Year Bucket List

This weekend was my birthday weekend, always a time of reflection and cake. The following week is always a little avoiding my reflection because of all that cake. But, trust me, I am not complaining.

Last year was the first of the 50’s, and I had plenty of ups and downs. Cruised through the beginning of the year like a champ, didn’t feel a day over 32. The second half of the year, however, brought a darker side. Doing that whole “what have I done with my life…and why didn’t I become who I thought I could be” thing. Had a little help shining the light on my faults, flaws and failings, which was more uncomfortable that I expected it to be, but I guess it has to be done; to keep one in check, to make one humble. Don’t know and didn’t like it much.

But this is a New Year! I LOVE having a birthday in January; you get two Start-Overs in just a few weeks. The New Year’s Start-Over is where EVERYONE starts over…and rapidly falls back into the old routine. Birthday Week is the gateway to Start Over, Part 2, so I just consider New Years a trial run. This year, my Start Over consists of a bucket list. Not THE bucket list, where you list your life “wanna’s”, but a 51st Year Bucket List.. Not to be confused with 31 flavors, but I bet I can make room for them somewhere on my 51st Year Bucket List..

Below are the buckets I will empty throughout the next year. I reserve the right to add to or subtract from my 51st Year Bucket List.

1 Finish Reading Sheila’s Book—I’ve borrowed it now for several years
2 Return Sheila’s Book
3 Two words—Size Six
4 Retrieve Beryl’s Dog’s Ashes
5 Scatter Beryl and his Dog and his Mom.
6 Run an 8k
7 Buy a Tom Petty Album (I say that every time I hear a Tom Petty song)
8 Download the last three year’s pictures from my camera
9 Wear more Monkey Hats
10 Feed the birds
11 Plan less, do more
12 Drink 40 ounces of water daily. Before dinner
13 Drop 8% body fat.
14 Eat more bacon (while dropping 8% body fat, I like a challenge)
15 Get a new bell for my new cruiser bike
16 Wear pearls with Jeans. Often
17 Write an old fashioned letter. And send it.
18 Get a Patty Mills Shirt
19 Run a10k (joggle, who am I kidding. I don’t run)
20 Listen to Rubber Soul more often
21 On nice days, do things OUTSIDE
22 Don’t stress out about not doing everything on my 51-Bucket List
23 Finish Beer Table Project (see #11)
24 Bike the new Banks to Vernonia trail. Ring Bell often (see #15)
25 Write a review for Joe Kurmaskie’s book Mud, Sweat and Gears (LOVE this book)
26 Take a class. With my dog.
27 Try different flavors of ice cream (31 flavors here I come)
28 File away the monthly receipts sometime before the end of the next month
29 Give my employer fewer hours a day
30 Give my family, my dogs and myself more hours a day
31 See all best Picture Nominees this year. Except the ones that I don’t (10 of them this year, that’s just crazy)
32 Go on more lunch time walks with Mary Whitcher
33 Send the birthday cards early enough to make it there on or before the birthday
34 Spend less time making to-do lists

So there you have it. You may have noticed that I did not promise to be a better person, nor did I add anything about wearing a dress or high heels. I figure there’s no sense in adding things I just can’t do (see #22). Happy Start Over, friends!