My Bucket List

I work as a business consultant. Continuous Improvement is my professional mantra. About a year ago, I was on a 17-hour plane ride to Hong Kong for a leisure trip with family to visit my brother. I had just turned 40. It was a reflective plane ride -- looking back, and more importantly, looking forward. There I was at the chronological pinnacle of my life, and what did I have to benchmark it or work toward? Was I living in "value-added" time? Did I have a "map" toward life goals? A strategic plan? If I were my own client, where would I begin?

I facilitated my own Continuous Improvement roadmap; I developed a personal life Bucket List during that long flight. It's now thumb-tacked to my bulletin board at work. You've thought about it -- but have you ever written it down, or gotten the satisfaction of checking something off?

Mine ended up being cross-purposed, and it was so fun to think about and write! From education, skill building and family nurturing, to materialistic, experience and thrill seeking, to even relationship and spiritual growth. Some things are too personal to share (or even end up in ink), but here's the majority of my list:

-Be on a rowing/crew team

-See U2 in concert

-Write a book

-Tour Napa Valley

-Run a 10K

-Learn to be a better birdwatcher

-Learn to be a better star-gazer

-Climb a recreational wall

-Read the Bible

-Hike (part of) the Appalachian Trail

-See as many Cirque du Soleil's as we can

-Learn to dance "The Thriller"

-Save up and purchase a Chanel pearl necklace

-Drink mint juleps and wear a big hat to the Kentucky Derby

-Learn to ballroom dance with Pat (he already knows how)

-Start a tradition: Easter Brunch at our house

-Take Mom to see a Broadway musical and the Big Apple

-3 generations hands photo, taken professionally - me, Mom & Gram

-Be the best wife ever!

-Find out if blondes have more fun (hair color commitment or wig for a day?)

-Take cooking lessons

-Be in the front row of a concert

-Earn my Master's degree

-Dream machine: BMW 7 series

Now here we are, 1 year later. How far have I gotten?

1. CHECK - Dance the Thriller! One great ZumbaThon in October I was surprised when ol' MJ started playing and, yes, we learned and danced The Thriller! (Mwa-ha-ha-ha!)

2. CHECK - We hosted Easter brunch for both of our families, and announced our tradition's debut. It would be our last Easter with the man who became my father-in-law. We lost him in July. He was 72.

3. STARTED - Applied and accepted to the Penn State Harrisburg Master of Public Administration program. I deferred my enrollment to settle some logistics with the offering.

4. GOOD INTENTIONS - Read the Bible. Geez, that's like eating an elephant! I took home a guidebook that outlines a reading plan to complete this in one year. Read many parts over the years, but haven't taken that first elephant bite yet.

5. ON MY WAY - Pat & I were married April 30, 2010. I think Pat would say I'm a great wife. I have 10 months of experience and look forward to 49 more years!

6. ON MY WAY - By the end of last summer, I was running a flat 5K. I am such a fair weather runner, that now I am starting over, with the goal to run a 5K event by late spring. We'll see where that leads!

The best thing about having this list written down, and writing about it today, is that I realize need to get our 3 generations photo scheduled. Just like I would recommend to a client: writing it down helps you prioritize your needs and stay on track.

I would love to hear what's on your bucket list, and invite you to comment! My Bucket List is always open to adding another to-do!