Bogleheads

four7s · Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 65

The weekend is upon us and some day dreaming may be in order. Does anyone on the board have a bucket list that they'd like to share. If not the whole list, then perhaps the top two choices. ( For the younger Bogleheads, a 'bucket list' is a list of things you really want to do before you kick the bucket.)

My two choices, (1. Having never been to Yankee Stadium or Fenway, I'd like to see a game at each, and take the train from NYC to Boston. (2. See at least ten West End plays in London on ten consecutive days.

MWCA · Joined: 30 Nov 2007 Posts: 781

Just live each day to its fullest. Then you dont need a list.

schnoodlemom · Joined: 20 Oct 2008 Posts: 154

1)Go backcountry hiking in the mountains with hubby.
2)European vacation with hubby
3)Hawaiian vacation with hubby
4)Alaskan vacation with hubby
5)Anywhere with hubby...

I'm a little like a broken record, but truly I'm looking forward to travel and more quality time together when life isn't so busy and we feel financially set. We're getting some travel in now but the big ticket trips not yet. Need to stay healthy and save so we can get there some day. Amanda

norookie · Joined: 07 Jul 2009 Posts: 241

When I used to lurk here IIRC there was a thread like this..........I've found the older people get the more ingrained their lifestyle becomes=(My parents) Everyones diffrent, I like to do everything I can whilst im still on this planet. I have little "responsiability" to anyone other than them, im sure contributes to this mindset. I've always pushed the envelope,............unfortunately..I hear its in ones DNA/Genes so I cannot help it, except to recognize it and reign it in. Embarassed

Back OT ......NO I believe I've done all I want except break the go "below 100ft depth diving pleateau" I cannot do these days anyway. O' well. I'll live!
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"I hope to put my last dime when I die, in the parking meter in front of the state house, then die in my car awaiting many parking tickets"

flowerbuyer · Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:26 pm Post subject:

No formal bucket list, but I do keep telling my DH that we aren't getting any younger and we probably won't feel any better than we do now. So if there are things we want to do, we shouldn't keep putting them off until "someday".

Wagnerjb · Joined: 19 Feb 2007 Posts: 2975 Location: Houston, Texas

Bharat · Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:29 pm Post subject:

neverknow · Joined: 05 Jun 2009 Posts: 719

nisiprius · Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 6:39 pm Post subject:

Early sixties. Not much of a bucket list. Oh, yeah, I'd like to see some of that parched sculptured Western desert stuff, Monument Valley and so forth, but it's a nice-to-have, not a must-have.

When I saw the movie, what struck me sharply was that the central theme was fulfillment through tourism. Most of the things they were doing were passive activities, requiring no real investment of themselves other than being there.

Life is finite. What do you do with the silly bucket list, try to make one that's exactly the right length? Make one that's too long and feel lousy because you didn't get them all checked off? Make one that's too short and feel at loose ends (if not suicidal) because you've got them checked off and there's nothing left to do?

What my wife and I like to do when we visit a place is hunker down for a couple of weeks and do dumb local stuff. See the little local museums that are open 2-4 p.m. Thursdays and by appointment. When we were in Oregon, we went to see Crater Lake, and the brochure they handed out was "what to do after the the 'wow,'" and we both that the same reaction: the "wow" was basically it. The problem is that we'd seen pictures of Crater Lake all our lives. On the other hand, we were thrilled and delighted by the Rogue Gorge, because we stumbled on it almost by accident and didn't know what to expect. We've seen Niagara Falls, and we've seen Chittenango Falls, and Niagara Falls was great and Chittenango Falls isn't remotely comparable--but Chittenango Falls is lovely and it's ours.

You've just gotta work on appreciating what's around you. You get a nice sunset from time to time right in your backyard. Enjoy watching the blue jays and the robins and don't let anyone spoil it by saying "it's just a robin." Enjoy the spectacular color of a local river filled from bank to bank with purple loosestrife, and so what if it's an invasive species and so what if it's doing terrible things to the ecology, it is darn it beautiful. (No, not "showy," beautiful).

I don't know if I'm going to keep it up, but I've been substitute teaching in the local high school. Oh, boy, it's hard work, and it's aggravating, but I think probably it is more nourishing to the soul than climbing Mt. Monadnock (which, OK, yes, is on my to-do list).
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Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness; Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.

cinghiale · Joined: 17 Oct 2007 Posts: 217

I have only one essential "bucket item:" I want to live in Venice, Italy for a full year. Since I work in academe and will-- economy and state budget permitting-- qualify for one more Sabbatical year before I retire, the chances of fulfilling this dream are quite good. Past that, there are lots of "want to" items, but I think the defining element of a bucket item is that it is something you would seriously regret not doing (when you are doing the final tallying).
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-- Cinghiale

Peter Foley · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 424 Location: Lake Wobegon

There are a few things on my retirement bucket list, some more probable than others.
1. Spend 2-3 months in a language school in France (probable).
2. Participate as a member of a volunteer organization in South America, maybe teach English as a Second Language (probable)
3. Hike the Grand Canyon rim to rim with my daughter and her husband (probable)
4. Visit Antarctica with my wife (less probable, but Argentina and Chile and the Tierra del Fuego are highly likely).
5. Shoot a par round for 18 holes of golf. (This is getting less probable as the years pass.)
6. Get a hole in one. (Improbable - but maybe more probable than a par round!)

neverknow · Joined: 05 Jun 2009 Posts: 719

LRonHalfelven · Joined: 29 Sep 2009 Posts: 8

I have a list of people I want to hit over the head with a bucket before I die. Does that count?

Tall Grass · Joined: 07 Jul 2008 Posts: 1053 Location: Kansas

I've never been to the Spam Museum...

I'd like to see the National Air Races at Reno sometime...

Take a train through the mountains somewhere in Colorado or New Mexico...

A full week to go through the Smithsonian...
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"I am less interested in the return on my money than the return of my money."
- Will Rogers

Tall Grass · Joined: 07 Jul 2008 Posts: 1053 Location: Kansas

Dale_G · Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:20 pm Post subject:

I've knocked off a bunch of travel buckets from Pitcairn Island to the Antarctic. Yet to be done:

1. Ride the "Silk Road" train from St. Petersburg to Beijing
2. Ride the train from Beijing to Lhasa, Tibet
3. Spend a week at Angkor Wat

After I do these I will add more buckets, but I am running out of time and my wife is running out of health. Do this stuff when you are young.

Dale
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first we crawl, then we walk, then we run, later we use any available transportation

Wonk · Joined: 11 Jul 2008 Posts: 204

Space.

I can't wait to take my first commercial space flight and look back on the amazing view of the world from above it all.

Flights on Virgin Galactic are only $200k now and should come down immensely in the next 10-20 years...with deflation and all Wink

.

Of course all the "seven wonders" of the world are on the list, but space is a must-have experience before I give it all up...

joruva · Joined: 01 Jul 2009 Posts: 11

hudson · Joined: 06 Apr 2007 Posts: 219

nisiprius: "...I've been substitute teaching in the local high school...snip..but I think probably it is more nourishing to the soul than climbing Mt. Monadnock (which, OK, yes, is on my to-do list)."

I've worked in a high school and have climbed Mt. Monadnock several times. When my daughter and I got to the top the last time, there was a gentleman sitting on a rock sipping a Budweiser. He told us that he ran up every day before work....drank a beer and ran down. I want to go to NH, climb Monadnock, then do some kind of Presidential Range hike that includes Washington. (I really liked working in a high school...never a dull moment...rewarding...exciting...stressful...you know you're alive.)

My list isn't a bucket list, just a vague unwritten list of things that I would do if I got a chance and the cost was reasonable.

Mt. Leconte, TN...1 night in the paid shelter, one night in the free shelter.

Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon...down to the lodge...spend a day and come back out.

Monument Valley

Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard

LH · Joined: 14 Mar 2007 Posts: 1990

Patchy Groundfog · Joined: 05 Mar 2009 Posts: 115

There was a time in my life when, wherever I was, I needed to be at least one other place. My job needed 55 hours a week, my father another 50, including overnights. My grandchildren were coming along during this time, too.

I used to daydream about being at home in the afternoon, the way the light would come in that time of day. I daydreamed about naps, the blanket and pillow... My bucket list was all about the sofa.

Now that I have the time, it turns out that I can't nap, unless I have a fever. But I can be at home in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week, and nobody is expecting me to show up anywhere. I wouldn't trade that for a round-the-world cruise.
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The best things in life aren't things.

jeffyscott · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 2351 Location: Wisconsin

Midpack · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 274 Location: Chicagoland

I have kept a bucket list since 1976. It's a dynamic list where I record the milestones in my life and the things I'd like to do/accomplish with the rest of my life. There are 68 items on my list, now that I'm older most have been accomplished, but I am adding to the list all the time (and will continue to). It's a good exercise for a goal oriented individual like myself - YMMV. It also prompts me to make sure I do something significant every year at a minimum. You only live once...
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You only live once...

neverknow · Joined: 05 Jun 2009 Posts: 719

hudson · Joined: 06 Apr 2007 Posts: 219

- so I procrastinate. neverknow...

I think that your on to something! I used to work hard when I got a minute of spare time...now I procrasinate. My wife and I have the same disease.

MarcMyWord · Joined: 15 Jun 2007 Posts: 429

Abe · Joined: 18 Sep 2009 Posts: 3

Dear Ann Landers: In July of 1985 my wife was diagnosed as having terminal cancer. Shortly afterward, your column on the Station by R. J. Hastings appeared in Newsday.

For years, we had talked of "someday" going to Paris, a city I fell in love with as a GI. The day after I read the poem, I realized that it was time to pull into the "station".

As soon as the doctor OK'd the trip, we went to Paris and had the most beautiful vacation of our 43 years. My lovely wife passed away a year and half after the diagnosis.

I have since taken the liberty of passing copies of that column to friends. One purchased his "someday" car, another went on a long-delayed trip. But it can also mean visiting a sick friend - and that "someday" should be now.

There is so much hurt in looking back and remembering those things we intended to do and didn't.

Thank you, Ann Landers, for Paris - Irv Gaiptman, Plainview, N.Y.

Dear Irv: You were dear to let me know what "The Station" meant to your life. Here it is for all the others who haven't as yet learned that lesson:

The Station
by Robert J. Hastings

Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering - waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

"When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry. "When I'm 18." "When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz!" "When I put the last kid through college." "When I have paid off the mortgage!" "When I get a promotion." "When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!"

Sooner or later we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

"Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Palm 118:24: "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.

So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.

Hexdump · Joined: 10 Oct 2008 Posts: 355

1) Get my wife interested in riding a tandem bike so we can do some touring.

2) Get her interested in riding a single bike.

3) Teach her to appreciate football.
As an aside, I mentioned this to her and she replied that she already understood football.
I asked her to explain a 1st down and her answer was priceless.

"It's the 1st time someone gets knocked down"
I think I am going to give up on this.

nisiprius · Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:50 am Post subject:

sperry8 · Joined: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 130 Location: New York, NY

schnoodlemom · Joined: 20 Oct 2008 Posts: 154

Thanks, sperry8, for the gentle push! Smile

You're right on. We're trying real hard to carve out time (date nights, lunch dates) while smack dab in the middle of hectic child-raising, elder-caring, career-building, home-maintaining years. While I feel really grateful for our present day blessings, I just thought that if I had a bucket list these other more exotic locales would be on top. It's been truly inspirational reading all the other responses. Amanda

Imperabo · Joined: 29 Aug 2008 Posts: 170

Here's my list:

1. Live Forever

retcaveman · Joined: 21 Oct 2009 Posts: 95

Reading this thread made me think of this little story. Hope you enjoy it.

THE STATION

By Robert J. Hastings
TUCKED AWAY in our subconscious minds is an idyllic vision in which we see ourselves on a long journey that spans an entire continent. We're traveling by train and, from the windows, we drink in the passing scenes of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at crossings, of cattle grazing in distant pastures, of smoke pouring from power plants, of row upon row upon row of cotton and corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of city skylines and village halls.

But uppermost in our conscious minds is our final destination--for at a certain hour and on a given day, our train will finally pull into the Station with bells ringing, flags waving, and bands playing. And once that day comes, so many wonderful dreams will come true. So restlessly, we pace the aisles and count the miles, peering ahead, waiting, waiting, waiting for the Station.

"Yes, when we reach the Station, that will be it!" we promise ourselves. "When we're eighteen. . . win that promotion. . . put the last kid through college. . . buy that 450SL Mercedes-Benz. . . have a nest egg for retirement!"
From that day on we will all live happily ever after.

Sooner or later, however, we must realize there is no Station in this life, no one earthly place to arrive at once and for all. The journey is the joy. The Station is an illusion--it constantly outdistances us. Yesterday's a memory, tomorrow's a dream. Yesterday belongs to a history, tomorrow belongs to God. Yesterday's a fading sunset, tomorrow's a faint sunrise. Only today is there light enough to love and live.

So, gently close the door on yesterday and throw the key away. It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad, but rather the regret over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who would rob us of today.
"Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24, "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, swim more rivers, climb more mountains, kiss more babies, count more stars. Laugh more and cry less. Go barefoot oftener. Eat more ice cream. Ride more merry-go-rounds. Watch more sunsets. Life must be lived as we go along. The Station will come soon enough.
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"The wants of mortals are containers that can never be filled." (Socrates)

nisiprius · Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:00 pm Post subject:

Imperabo · Joined: 29 Aug 2008 Posts: 170

Beggars can't be choosers. Wink

retcaveman · Joined: 21 Oct 2009 Posts: 95

A personal thought for whatever it may be worth. A carryover from my working days is that I do an annual "Plan" with goals (more like thoughts/intentions) for several categories eg house, travel, cars and of course financial. At the beginning of each year, I write a general statement. Not a mission really, more like a guiding statement. The current one reads, "Enjoy the health and time we have left. Be mindful of how little time there is and how quickly it passes."
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"The wants of mortals are containers that can never be filled." (Socrates)

schnoodlemom · Joined: 20 Oct 2008 Posts: 154

jeffyscott · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 2351 Location: Wisconsin

SP-diceman · Joined: 05 Oct 2008 Posts: 849

The comedian Benny Hill said:

Live each day as if it was your last.
One day you'll be right.

nisiprius · Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:27 pm Post subject:

Imperabo · Joined: 29 Aug 2008 Posts: 170

Midpack · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 274 Location: Chicagoland

jeffyscott · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 2351 Location: Wisconsin

Ron · Joined: 23 Feb 2007 Posts: 2728 Location: Lehigh Valley, PA

I don't, since life has turned out to be much more, much better than I could have ever expected.

- Ron
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7AF, 377 CSG, Tan Son Nhut, Vietnam 68-69...

FlyingMoose · Joined: 04 Mar 2009 Posts: 8

I'm 31 so probably a lot younger than most here. My list is related to creating a "legacy" of sorts, since things like having various experiences will only be memories that will die with me. So I want to do some things that will continue on. So here's my 3-item list:

1. Get married, preferably to a cute asian girl, and have some kids. Currently working on this. I'll probly end up going the foreign-bride route, as I'm a bit of a nerd.

2. Take up a political cause, which may include writing a book, running an internet forum, and/or starting a charity, and possibly other ideas which I haven't thought of yet. I do have a specific topic in mind, but as it's rather controversial, I won't get into it here.

3. Build a long-term time capsule. I have an idea in mind, but it will be fairly expensive. I hope that I'll have enough money after the having-kids thing.

With these 3 items, I'll have secured my legacy genetically, memetically, and physically. (note that a meme is a unit of idea that's passed on)

As an interesting side-note, my dad's plan for retirement, both for profit and for fun, is to start a cemetery.

nisiprius · Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:04 am Post subject:

Ziggy75 · Joined: 24 Sep 2008 Posts: 181

...two chicks at the same time...

(from the movie, Office Space)

Fill everyday with laughter, and you won't sweat the bucket list.

touchdowntodd · Joined: 31 Oct 2009 Posts: 40

the only thing i had on mine was to buy a rolex... screw what people think about me, this is ALL for me.. ive worshiped them since I was about 12... i am just fascinated by mechanical movements, and i love everything about them... its a poor investement, but for about a year now my GMTIIc has brought me NOTHING but daily joy... i usually wear a long sleeve shirt and pretty much no one knows i have it... but it MAKES MY DAY EVERY DAY... having taht on my wrist makes me happy enugh that i dont mind driving lowest level toyotas

#2 on the list was to buy my wife one as well... she wasnt much of a watch person, but she WORSHIPS her no date OP... i cant belieev the joy it brings her./.

we got 35% off retail, and i couldnt care LESS what thay money may have done for us in the long run.. it makes me feel good, and NOTHING else compares too that.. her $12k ring was probably a bad investment too, but she is the love of 100 lifetimes, and i would do it again over and over, even if i did take a loan out to make it happen for her..

my wife and our marriage is what got me in love with the idea of investing, and worrying about my future. i made a full 180 from where i was a couple years ago spending every penny i make and driving cars and motorcycles etc...

bucket list going forward:

- get my wife to CA to visit her family 1 time a year if not 2
- get my wife to Italy, a dream she never thought would happen
- invest wisely, look forward to August 1st 2018 when my house is paid off and try to pay it off faster
- setup a Roth for my child at birth, and pay what i can into it yearly... i dont want them growin up thinking paycheck to paycheck is the only option like i did...

other than that, the writer above hit it on the head, i laugh every day, as often as possioble.. i may not eat $100 dinners, but im proud of what i have and where im going.. any trips or anything that come up between now and death are a bonus, my family is my life

runthetrails · Joined: 05 Jun 2007 Posts: 269 Location: Tennessee

FlyingMoose · Joined: 04 Mar 2009 Posts: 8