Bucket-Less

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that 2017 is over. I experienced plenty of blessings throughout, and I hope that 2018 continues to grant a great deal of divine grace.

I remember spending New Year’s Eve in the hospital rehab center when we passed from 2013 to 2014. I had a really weird and demanding roommate then, and I spent the earlier part of the night hoping that the distant noise of the fireworks outside wouldn’t waken him. He did wake up, and he made the night more challenging and less pleasant for the nurses and for me. I’ve come a long way since then, and I remain alive and well. They tell me that I almost died as a result of the accident, but God had other plans for me.

People often speak of their so-called bucket lists in reference to things that they would like to do before they die. I personally don’t have one. I’m just too busy enjoying it all, whether past or present, to think that way. As we celebrate the dawning of a New Year and consider the future, I present a list of reasons (one for each year that I have experienced a New Year’s Day) as to why I don’t have a bucket list. Yeah, I’m a freak.

54 Reasons Why I Don’t Have A Bucket List

1. I was saved by Jesus Christ long ago…and that really should be all.
2. I have experienced the joy of leading others to a saving faith in Christ.
3. I have studied for, written, and delivered countless sermons and Sunday school lessons.
4. I have been in love with someone who I care about more than myself.
5. I have watched my daughter enjoy life.
6. I have seen God deliver me from impossible situations over and again.
7. I have been loved by people who deserved better.
8. I have watched babies grow older.
9. I have seen the sun rise and set from beach shores.
10. I have laughed hard enough to have it hurt.
11. I have seen the Red Sox win several World Series Championships.
12. I have stood directly in the flight path of very low-flying fighter jets.
13. I have taken part in Chinese Fire Drills.
14. I have enjoyed ice-cold cherry Kool Aid on a hot day.
15. I have used a jackhammer.
16. I have traveled to enough great destinations to know that coming home is the best part of the trip.
17. I have sat long enough to relish the shade, the breeze, the sights, and the sounds without rushing away.
18. I have messed with people who had a sense of humor.
19. I have sung songs as though I was the star of a show when no one was listening.
20. I have taken part in drag races.
21. I have been there to experience the birth of my daughter (major kudos to my wife!).
22. I have climbed to the top of an Aztec pyramid.
23. I have ridden down a long road in a ’57 Chevy with the windows down.
24. I have fought and won without falling prey to hatred or bitterness.
25. I have flown a kite in an open green field.
26. I have seen a lunar and solar eclipse.
27. I have eaten decadent food at an open poolside restaurant like a bourgeois.
28. I have looked down on the city of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower.
29. I have driven on the Seven Mile Bridge to Key West.
30. I have seen a laser light show at a planetarium.
31. I have helped someone to whom I owed nothing.
32. I have ridden horses.
33. I have watched an enormously vast field of gladiolas swaying in the wind.
34. I have been to live professional wrestling matches.
35. I have driven a jet ski in the ocean.
36. I have taken part in multi-million dollar business and construction deals.
37. I have shamelessly manipulated my way to victory when playing the game of Risk.
38. I have ridden on huge roller coasters.
39. I have thrown a Frisbee at the beach with accuracy and speed.
40. I have seen many Ancient Egyptian artifacts.
41. I have walked amidst giant redwood trees.
42. I have been able to ride a motorcycle on sunny days.
43. I have found most of what is old, lost, and precious while also gaining things that are new and worthwhile.
44. I have gone down large waterslides.
45. I have seen fireworks from far above through the window of an airplane.
46. I have gone parasailing.
47. I have eaten tubs of buttered popcorn while spending time with my wife on the couch watching TV together.
48. I have impressed people who didn’t know how limited I really am.
49. I have ridden on an overnight train through parts of Europe.
50. I have smelled autumn in New England.
51. I have seen the vastness of the ocean from the deck of a ship.
52. I have seen most of the national monuments and museums of Washington D.C.
53. I have eaten pizza on a hotel room bed with my family while we behaved as though it was the best meal ever.
54. I have survived a horrific motorcycle accident and lived well enough to blog about it.