As we are now in the summer season where the weather is warm and the days are longer, many people are taking the opportunity to work on their bucket list. This is that list of items we want to tackle before we “kick” the proverbial bucket. People are often more energetic and inspired during the summer season, when the sun is giving us all that energy by bathing our bodies with Vitamin D, and this does good things for our brains too. In summer, people often take advantage of vacation days they may stockpiled during the cold winter months, and leisure time may be more prevalent. All good reasons to pull out that bucket list and see which items can be tackled and crossed off.
Maybe the bucket list item is to travel, climb a mountain, parasail, or bungee jump. Maybe it includes all of these things and then some. Perhaps someone is able to get one or two of those things checked off their list, and then some of the items get moved to next season, or next summer, or the following year. Oftentimes next year rolls into the year after and so on, and unfortunately before we realize, the opportunity is no longer there. Sometimes it is due to health or financial reasons, or sometimes we have lost interest in that particular activity and replaced it with something else. But sometimes we do keep things on the back burner, and we add them to the list that we might not get to this year, or even the next. But we will get there someday.
Have you ever heard the Tim McGraw song “Live Like You Were Dying” (Songwriters: Craig Michael Wiseman / James Timothy Nichols / Tim Nichols)? It was released in June 2004 and won numerous country music awards in 2004 and 2005, along with several other nominations. It is such a good song. If you’ve never heard it, please download it onto your playlist.
The song tells the story of a man in his forties (McGraw, as the narrator of the song) who just learned the news that a friend of the same age has limited time here on Earth. As this news sinks in, McGraw contemplates how one deals with that kind of news and fate. The friend’s answer surprised McGraw as his friend reported doing all the things he had always wanted to do but never took the time. This included being a better husband and son, spending time with loved ones, and riding 2.7 seconds on bull named Fumanchu! The man went skydiving, climbed the Rocky Mountains, and granted people forgiveness he’d been denying. In other words, he started living his life to the fullest, even though he had been dealt an unfortunate hand.
This is one of my favorite songs, and it has such a good message. The truth is we are all dying, so perhaps we’d better get busy living. Most of us have a list of things we’d like to accomplish “someday.” But the truth is, someday, or even tomorrow, is not guaranteed. Here is a link to a poem that discusses how we never really know what the day or tomorrow will bring (https://thepracticalpoet.com/do-we-really-know-from-sow-seeds-of-wisdom/). We may never get the chance to experience those items we put on that list because we are always so busy being busy. Or we put it into the category of “when”: “when I lose twenty pounds,” “when I retire,” “when the kids are in college,” and so on. But again, that time is not guaranteed, and life happens so fast that we often don’t get the chance to cross off all of those items on the list. In the song, the dying man took the worst possible situation and turned it around to his benefit, knowing his time on Earth was limited. But that is really the case for all of us. If you had the chance to know how much time you had left, would you want to know? Would you do anything differently in the wake of that information?
The List of Someday
When I look back at my life
And all the things I’ve missed
I vow to do them someday,
So I add them to my list.
Perhaps I want to skydive
Or maybe parasail.
I might wish to climb a mountain
Or hike a rocky trail.
Maybe I’d like to volunteer
Or adopt a homeless pet.
There are many items on my list
That I haven’t crossed off yet.
Someday I think I’ll try ballet
Or dance the Hoochie Koo.
Life is short, and time goes fast
With so many things to do.
So much so that recreation
Gets put off to the side.
We get so caught up in the landing
That we forget to enjoy the ride.
Maybe I want to lie on a beach
With my toes buried in the sand
And watch the waves glide to and fro
With a frothy drink in hand.
And perhaps that drink can be served
By a handsome, shirtless waiter.
That’s definitely going on the list
For sooner rather than later!
Maybe I want to travel
To countries far and wide.
Maybe I need to take the time,
And push other things aside.
Perhaps one day I’ll ride a bull
Or learn to ride a horse.
I need to try to have more fun
And not get thrown off course
By work, and tasks, and errands
And too many things to do.
And focus on the list I made,
With adventures to pursue.
But there always is a list of chores,
So that’s easier said than done.
But I like the other list better—
The one that allows for more fun!
Life is such a balancing act . . .
A work hard/play hard equation.
I must prioritize some fun . . .
It won’t take much persuasion!
Because as the list of someday grows,
Our time remaining starts to shrink.
And before you know, it’s flown on by
Before we can even blink.
So get out that list of someday
And get out your ballpoint pen.
Start to scratch off items now . . .
Don’t hesitate or say “when” . . .
“When I become richer” or
“When the kids are grown.”
The list of someday is here right now
And your life is your own.
Because someday we’ll be at the end
And time will be behind us.
We’ll wonder why the joy in life
Never seemed to find us.
But the truth is, it was always there;
We were just busy with other things
And didn’t prioritize our list,
Or the joy that living brings.
So I hope you have your list in hand,
And I hope it’s full of fun.
And includes some relaxation,
And soaking up the sun.
And contains enough adventure
To give your heart a thrill.
Because someday it’s inevitable—
That heartbeat will be still.
And when your heart goes silent
And your breath, it is no more,
And your family finds your list,
I hope it warms them to their core
To see that all the items
Have been crossed off from your list
And they’ll know that as you lived your life,
There’s not a single thing you missed.
-K.A. Bloch-
