Bibo Madness: Bucket Lists are always a Work in Progress

Recently my wife Laurie came to me and said it was time that we each made our bucket lists. A bucket list, for the uninformed, is a list of things a person wants to see or do before they die. I thought it was a rather strange request. I felt fine. I'm only 57 (am I really that old now?) Did she know something that she wasn't telling me? What was going on here?

She stopped me the other night and rattled off a number of items, most of which I already knew. Then she waited. "I haven't started." She moved on, slightly disappointed that I was taking this seriously.

So one day at lunch I opened the Notes app on my iPhone, thumbed in "Bucket List", and began. Right now it's a short list but that will change as my life changes. Bucket Lists are fluid creations. Hopefully I'll be able to cross some things off as time goes on.

It turns out my list was over run with places I'd like to see such as Washington DC, Ireland, a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral, Roswell/Area 51, and Italy (that's really tops on Laurie's list but it made my list too because I want to give it to her).

There's the hot air balloon ride and the road trip down Route 66 (before it disappears and is forgotten) in a convertible preferably red.

There are events that made the list perhaps because they are topical right now. Attending the Olympics (preferably the winter ones as I enjoy watching those the most) and attending the San Diego Comic-Con, the United States' largest tribute to the excesses of pop culture especially movies, comics, toys, you name it and for 4 days the strangest place on Earth.

Musically I do get to cross one name off the list. In September Laurie and I will travel to Chicago and see Peter Gabriel in concert. I .am very excited about that

Of course, finally, there are the two big ones. Selling a real book, one that people actually read and enjoy, and eventually earning enough to retire.

I sat back and looked over what I had typed. Then it hit me. I realized the reason Laurie brought this all up was that just a few days ago she got to cross something off of her list. I guess she had to make the list first before she could cross it off.