Earlier this week I nearly died.
A buffoon in a HGV decided to do a sudden U-turn on
the A1 motorway, immediately blocking both lanes. This caused me to brake
harshly at 70mph, before I had to then swerve onto the grass verge so I didn’t
go into the back of his lorry. Thankfully, my guardian angel looked after me
and I’m alright, because it definitely wasn’t my awesome driving skills that
saved the day!
But having since reflected on my brush with death,
it got me thinking:
If I were to die today, would I be content that I had
achieved all that I wanted?
I have for many years kept a ‘bucket list’ of
things to do – and then done them.
Some of the highlights I have so far crossed off my to-do list include:
Some of the highlights I have so far crossed off my to-do list include:
- floating in the Dead Sea in Israel
- giving flowers to the Queen
- teaching schoolkids in Thailand
- a train trip across Canada
- visits to Niagara Falls
- various road trips across America seeing sights like the Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Graceland, and meeting Elvis in Las Vegas (What do you mean it wasn’t the real Elvis?!)
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| The best photograph I've ever managed to take of the Queen; Golden Jubilee Tour to Leeds 2002. Look how happy she is to meet me! And she's holding the flowers I got her from Leeds Market! :) |
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| Teaching Thai children some proper Yorkshire! |
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| A touch soggy at Niagara Falls, Canada |
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| Stalking Elvis Presley at Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee |
In 2015 I took it a step further and set myself
12 Monthly Challenges. I even mouthed off on Facebook to everybody about my
Monthly Challenges, which had the added bonus of getting others involved in
some of them, such as the 5km Race for Life.
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| 5km Race for Life, my first ever proper run! |
Now because I had told everyone of my plans, I had
made myself accountable, and there was no way I was not going to succeed and
make myself look, as we say oop norf: “all mouth and no trousers”!! So I
completed every challenge, and enjoyed myself immensely.
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| Bah, it's chopped December's off! Which was 'Master the Poi'... |
But what do you when you have achieved every target
you set yourself? You set more targets! There’s a never ending list of good
things still to do! Current items awaiting completion are visits to Florence
and Iceland (the country, not the freezer shop!)
Next week, I shall be on my way to cross off
another item, and I am terrified about it.
Since booking my trip to see Machu Picchu I have
heard terrible things about robberies in Peru, forced drug mules, kidnappings, murders,
and a whole host of other things that a soft lass travelling on her own
wouldn’t wish to encounter.
I am very worried about the possibilities of
disaster. But should you wait until ‘the right time’ to do something? You might
never do it. So although I am quite scared about possible consequences, I shall
be brave: I’ll feel the fear and do it anyway.
#Never let fear stand in the way of your dreams #
So going back to my original question: if I were to
die suddenly, would I be content that I had achieved all I wanted?
My honest answer is yes. I could die right now and
not regret the things I haven’t yet done because I’ve ticked off lots of things
already.
Could you say the same?
If not, get your bucket list written, and start
ticking things off!
Now obviously, I don’t plan to die anytime soon
(the guardian angel’s shaking her head in her hands again!), but you just never
know when your time is up. So get planning for what you still have time left to
achieve. I would love to hear the top items on your bucket list – assuming I’m
back in Britannia to annoy you next month, that is!
However, if all goes badly wrong in Peru, at least
I’ll end my time by ticking off another challenge.
After all, we’re here for a good time, not a long time...
After all, we’re here for a good time, not a long time...
Stuck for ideas? Here's some inspiration:
The Bucket List website