Hi! Lin sent me a couple of posts from VisionAware. It appears they have people writing their bucket lists and then writing about how they are accomplishing their goals.
I am probably wrong but I think bucket list is a bit of exclusively American slang. It comes from another American (?) slang phrase. “Kick the bucket” means to die so a bucket list is a list of things to do before you die. You know, special things you have always wanted to do.
I generally don’t make a bucket list. I am pretty proactive so things I put on my ‘list’ get checked off in short order. I am very fortunate I have been able to do many things.
This does not mean I do not have goals. My ultimate goal is to die in my own bed after a full and productive day. This should happen sometime when I am older than 90. In order to do this I have to have a lot of little sub-goals. I work on being financially responsible and physically fit. I also work to maintain ties to the community. (After all, somebody needs to find the body).
After I retire – I was thinking 70 would be a good age – I have wanted to take free or reduced cost college classes. I would like to learn to play an instrument. Maybe take classes in science or literature or history.
All of these plans were made before I started to lose my vision. When men make plans, God laughs. Supposedly an old Yiddish proverb that. The old Yiddish folks were very wise.
So now what? The people on the VisionAware site all already had fairly significant vision loss and really were working on things they wanted to do before they died – whenever that might be. But how about a bucket list of things you want to do before you become too visually impaired to do them?
By the time you read this I will be back from a 10 day tour of Iceland. It is supposed to be a phenomenal beautiful island. Going to Iceland will temporarily satisfy my wanderlust. It will give me an opportunity to experience more of this magnificent world.
Travel is one of the things I love and hope to do some more of. Do I have a list of places in mind? Sort of. Istanbul and Budapest are in the running but neither is a passionate desire. I could be just as happy with Amsterdam or Madrid.
Of course there is the small issue of money. Travel is expensive and I am not going to be able to afford every trip I have thought of taking before I lose my sight. Sometimes we have to settle for what we get and be happy with it.
Two more points:
First one: you will remember I said the people on VisionAware were all very visually impaired. They still had goals.
Being visually impaired does not keep you from doing everything you may want to do. For example, nephew 2 agrees I should learn the keyboard. He thinks I should try to become the old, white, female Stevie Wonder.
Second point: You who read regularly know my primary “going blind bucket list” goal. To wit, not to go blind! Hoping my new career as a lab rat starts soon!
So, whatcha wanna do? Do YOU have a bucket list? Tell us about it.