What’s on Your Bucket List?
As I write this message, I’m in the last 3 hours of a 16hr flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. My journey to South Africa began last year when I decided to fulfill a dream of touring one the places in the world that I’ve desired to visit for some time. Admittedly, there were times when I thought about cancelling this trip. Reasoning with such thoughts as, it’s too costly, the flight is too long, or it’s not the best time to be away from my home, family, work, duties and responsibilities.
During this flight, I began to ponder all that it required of me to make this journey. I pondered my reasons for pursuing my dream amid busy schedules and a plethora of family and ministry commitments. I questioned, why am I subjecting myself to this cramped window seat next to total strangers on their way to same destination? Well it occurred to me, the reason I am willing to make the sacrifices of time, money, energy and comfort is because visiting South Africa is one of the things on my bucket list.
A bucket list consists of those things we long to do before we die. It’s our plans, goals, and our most earnest desires. A bucket list does not have to be grand and costly. Yet it consists of dreams and visions that require time, money and sacrifice to fulfill.
In thinking about this notion, I’m reminded of the movie entitled, Bucket List, starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. This heartwarming story of two elderly men who became friends while sharing a hospital room, is one of my favorite movies. The common illness that drew them together became the impetus of their relationship. They come from different backgrounds, Morgan Freeman, a working-class black man and Jack Nicholson a wealthy white man and hospital executive. The reality of their mortality motivates them to pursue a list of dreams that became known as their bucket list. The life lessons found in this movie prompted me to begin my bucket list several years ago and the values exhibited by their pursuit remain with me today.
On Saturday, October 26, 2019 I officiated the funeral of a beloved church member who passed away at age 50. His death gripped our hearts and caused many of us to think about our own mortality. Several parishioners shared candidly with me their need to ensure their business and personal affairs are in order. Some expressed regrets about things they planned to do with this brother but never made the time to do it. The celebration of his life was an amazing outpour of love shared with family and friends who gathered to mourn his passing and celebrate the impact that his life made upon all of us. Yet I wondered about his bucket list. Did he have a bucket list? If so, did he pursue those things before his passing? What things did he put off for a tomorrow that never came for him?
These poignant questions prompted me to reflect more deeply upon my own mortality. What things am I putting off for tomorrow? While I have accomplished much, how many things remain on my bucket list just waiting on me to pursue? Therefore, I decided to review my bucket list during my long flight to South Africa. After reviewing my bucket list, I added book projects that have been in the que, people I need to connect and reconnect with, and places I plan to visit with my husband, children, family, friends or even alone.
Like, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson encouraged and assisted one another in completing their bucket list, I look forward to sharing this week with my traveling companions who all had a journey to South Africa on their bucket list. As I sign off, I encourage you to consider your own mortality and answer this question, What’s on your bucket list?
Dr. Toni