Bucket Lists?

Do you have one? Do you think we need them? Recently, a friend I chat with made an incredibly lucid point when we were on this subject. He said (and I am paraphrasing from memory) that his idea of a ‘Bucket list’ might be kind of the reverse of what is meant in general. He likes the idea of having the bucket there, but having it empty, so that it can be filled with things…not that you might do…or even want to do SOMEday…but with things that you ARE doing. Things of import, things of interest, things you’ve put off for too long…so that when you exit this realm, your bucket isn’t empty, or worse, doesn’t have an inch of stagnant water standing at the bottom, but is filled to the brim and overflowing with things you did that helped make your life…well….your LIFE! A life well lived is the best legacy we can leave for the generations that come after us. I am reminded of when my father passed suddenly in 2001. It was stunning, heartbreaking, unexpected…and in retrospect, humbling. My father was born, raised, lived and died in the same tiny community. However, when he passed at the age of 62 (which looks awfully young from 50!) there were folks who waited in line for 45 minutes to speak to my mom, my siblings, and myself of the impact my father’s life had had on them. He was one of those people who’d never met a stranger, was larger than life, and loved & lived unreservedly. I miss him….I miss the effect he had on my life. I miss his sometimes embarrassing loudness (lol),his crushing handshake, his arm pulling me in close for a hug, just because I was his daughter and he loved me. He was not a perfect man,  by any stretch, but he lived life on his own terms, did good as much as possible, and in the end, had an impact I think he would have been stunned to see! So…a Bucket list? I think not.  I am going to try to live my life full out, unrestrained…after all, I had an awesome example!