The NON-Bucket Lists

All of this talk about time lines and expiration dates has put us in touch with our own mortality. I spoke to some of my family members that have been directly effected by mama's illness and this is what I found out about their life goals:

AMBER:

1. "I would love to graduate with a teaching degree"
2. "I want to visit another country"
3. "I want to see my babies get married"
4. "I want to learn to play guitar"
5. "I want to be old and gray and still get butterflies from my "boo""

JOSH:

1. "I want to take a dream vacation to Hawaii"
2. "I'd really like to skydive"
3. "See the wonders of the world"
4. "Watch my children grow, become successful in life and have children of their own"
5. "Still be sitting next to my wife holding her hand when we are old and gray"

RONNIE:

1. To NOT have a Bucket List

MICHAEL:

1. "Tour Europe"
2. "Kill an elephant"
3. "Go whitetail hunting in Canada"
4. "Successfully raise my children"
5. "I can't think of a 5th one"

MOM:

1. "I'd love to fix my house up"
2. "I want to help people. I want to help as many people as possible in any way that I can"
3. "I want to devote as MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE to my family."
4. "I would love to see the mountains"
5. "I'd like to take a road trip with my sisters. Just me and them. (Preferably in a Volkswagen beetle-my favorite car of all time!)"

ME:

1. I want to stop worrying and live everyday as if it were my last
2. I'd love to travel the world. From the biggest tourist spots to the tiny hole in the wall towns.
3. I wish I could overcome my debilitating fear of public speaking and do karaoke or something in front of a huge crowd
4. I want me and Michael to meet all of our great grandchildren together
5. I want to make my mom's bucket list a reality

 Everyday is so precious, and we should all be living for today. We are not promised tomorrow. None of us. Every moment that we are given to spend with our loved ones is a gift. Time is a luxury that we sometimes take advantage of. In listening to my family talk about ambitions and dreams, I realized--this was not a bucket list of  "things to do before we die" it is a WISH list of things to do while we are LIVING.