Warning: There will be several references to the two items in the title of this post. If you are easily offended by descriptive words, better stop reading now. But honestly, this concept is really enlightening, especially if you are entering the fourth quarter in life.
Way back when, seventeen years ago to be exact, a movie
called “The Bucket List” was released. It starred Jack Nicholson & Morgan
Freeman as two terminally ill men who set off on a journey to fulfill as many
of the life wish list items they wanted to experience before they “kick the
bucket”. It started a huge movement of everyone having a “bucket list”.
Personally, I’ve never embraced the idea of a bucket list.
It always seemed a little morbid to think that if I accomplished everything on my
list, then it was time to die. Or if my list was so huge that I could never
finish it, that would be really sad since I would die with so much still to be
done.
Of course, there are lots of things I’ve wanted to do &
places I’ve wanted to see in my life but I never thought of them as “must do”
items to make my life complete. I’m pretty sure when I’m on my death bed, I
won’t be thinking, “Damn, I never did…whatever.”
Many times, I have used the phrase, “I don’t have a bucket
list per se, but if I did it would include…whatever.” On that “per se
bucket list” were things like visiting the Acropolis in Greece, seeing Tina
Turner & Cher perform live, traveling to all 50 states, extensively traveling the
world, living in a beautiful home with my loving partner, attending the NCAA
Basketball Tournament, riding the world’s tallest roller coaster (at the time),
going to a Super Bowl, seeing Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr (separately) in
concerts & many more that don’t come to mind right now. I’ve been fortunate
enough to have done all those!
A few items still left on that ever-changing “per se bucket
list” are seeing Dolly Parton perform live, attending the Olympic Games,
traveling to Bali & Tahiti, attending a World Series game & seeing even
more of the world.
Many years ago, on a hike with Darrin, he mentioned a
concept that his girlfriend, Patricia, had shared with him – that of a “Fuck It
List”. Everyone has the “Bucket List” of must dos before exiting this life. But
another just as meaningful concept is the “Fuck It List”, things that you can
easily go to your grave never having done or accomplished & being perfectly fine
with that.
Even though I skydived in my teens I am terrified of
heights. Therefore, jumping off of anything high can certainly go on my “Fuck It List”. I’m not overly adventurous with food, so eating things like tripe,
lamb brains or bull testicles (saw that in Hungary) – on the “Fuck It List”.
Climbing Half Dome or Mt. Whitney, back in the day, maybe, but that ship has
sailed & I can easily relegate it to the “Fuck It List”. I am discovering
in my 70s that the “Fuck It List” is an extremely liberating concept. Thank
you, Darrin & Patricia.
What brought all this to mind is that I recently read that
the NBA All Star Game will be held in San Francisco in 2025. Since it was first
created back in 1986 when Larry Bird won the first three years, I’ve loved the “Three
Point Shootout” at the All-Star Saturday event. That would definitely be on my
pseudo bucket list to attend in person someday. Wouldn’t tickets to the All-Star
Saturday be a fantastic 75th birthday gift? If you’re reading this
Lou – hint, hint – wink, wink.
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