Saturday, February 23, 2008

Bilbo's Bucket List

Here I am, home again in Northern Virginia after an uneventful (yay!) set of flights home. The only problem was the usual problem I have with flying...I have arthritis in my neck that flares up when I fly in those roomy and delightfully comfortable airline seats, and it's back with a vengeance. But other than having to turn my whole body from side to side to look at things without having to turn my head (and scream loudly enough to wake the neighbors), things are fine.

For me, anyhow.

Poor Agnes is down with a terrible case of the flu. She looks and sounds like the home demo version of Death 5.0, and has a whole bag of medicines to take at regular intervals between bouts of groaning and honking. She positively radiates misery. I feel badly for her, and just know that the little flu beasties are rubbing their hands and smacking their lips, getting ready to attack me as soon as they're done tormenting her. I can hardly wait.

All of which made me think about the recent Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman movie, The Bucket List.

I haven't seen this movie, but I know the premise: two elderly, terminally ill men "escape" from a hospital cancer ward and set out to cross off as many things as possible on their "bucket lists" - the things they want to do before they kick the proverbial bucket. This, of course, made me wonder what my own "bucket list" would include. Here are a few entries that come immediately to mind:

1. Dance at the weddings of all my grandchildren.

2. Hold my first (at least!) great-grandchild and tell him (or her) stories.

3. Visit Vienna (Austria, not Virginia) and St Petersburg (Russia, not Florida).

4. Go on a really long cruise with Agnes...around northern Europe and the Mediterranean, or through the South Pacific.

5. Dance a waltz with Edyta Sliwinska.

I suppose I can afford the first two on the list (which are the most important, anyhow); perhaps we can work out the next two if the President and the Governor leave enough in my battered savings account after taxes; and if we go to enough dance competitions, I may just have a chance to meet and beg a dance from the lovely Ms Sliwinska. We'll just have to see.

So what's on your bucket list? This isn't a meme, but I am curious to know what all my virtual friends out there would like to do before checking into the Hotel Permarest.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good question! And here I just finally put away the Christmas cards and, while doing so, noted your Blog. I innocently come to check it out, coffee in hand, and you hit me with this philosophical question to make me think. My head hurts!
so...after a bit of pain, I laugh to realize I agree with your number 1 (but with Grace at only 12 I am not so sure about number 2 for me--that may be pushing it) AND number 3. But I'd add this one for travel: Visit all the continents.
Have a wonderful day. I'm freakin' freezing here!
Katherine

Amanda said...

I hope Agnes feels better soon and those flu bugs don't hop over to you. Aaron and I are just getting over our own bugs now and it hasn't been fun.

Here are a few things in my bucket:
1) I would really like to see Aaron be the best he can. Whatever that is...

2) Organize a big holiday (destination to be determined) for my parents, my brother & wife and of course my family. Before my parents get too old.

3) My list of places to visit is endless so I hope I don't have to check into Hotel Permarest anytime soon. Beijing, Kyoto, Hanoi, Barcelona, Peru, Vienna (yes me too), Salzburg, The Maldives, Sipadan, and the list goes on....

Jean-Luc Picard said...

A good though-provoking post. It makes one realise there is so much to accomplish.

Mike said...

Find the last digit of pi. (I plan on living forever)
But it's going to be easier than you would think. I know it's a number from 0 to 9. That's only on 1 in 10 probability. A lot easier than winning the lottery.

The Mistress of the Dark said...

The flu this year is supposed to be awful and from this post it really sounds like it is. I hope it stays far far away from me, as I have no medical insurance and if I take off work, I get no money :(