Monday, June 24, 2013

Bucket List (Achievable)



         
         Well, this is a new experience for me. I’m morning writing. I know its morning because I am on my porch, the sun is on my right and I can hear at least eight different bird songs from where I sit. Those wonderful chirps and twills are drowned out by the occasional car passing by my house and the fire engine sirens a dozen blocks away on the main road but that does not change the fact the world around me is waking up and tackling the day. I say this as I watch a robin not so gently yank a worm out of my front lawn and gulp it down like a delicacy. I suppose worms are the Red Bull of the aviary world.
            Inside my house everyone is asleep still. When I woke up over two hours ago I made my way downstairs and turned on the television. The latest Batman movie was on so I sat down and watched some of it despite how I feel about all the plot holes in the film. I enjoyed the first Dark Knight movie, as for the second and the third, I always find myself rooting for the Joker or Bain even though I know they can never win I still like their style, their humanity and the disdain for all that the Bats holds sacred. And I’m a big fan of the Bats, just not the emo-bats he’s become. After the movie, HBO started a Bill Mahr episode, I have not watched him in a while so I tried, and I was quickly reminded why I stopped watching him. He has become so smug and self-important that I start to feel ill just looking at him. So I grabbed my laptop, a cigar and a Red Bull and headed to the porch. I’m glad I did.
            It means I get to spend time with you guys. Which is always cool with me. Which brings me to my point… well as good of a point as I always have.
            In another month I will be celebrating another birthday, and I use the term celebrating loosely, because I rarely ever celebrate my birthday. Now, I’m looking at less days ahead then I have behind and I don’t really feel too much nostalgia. I feel more maudlin than anything. I’m getting to the point I suppose we all get to in our lives. The point where I have more things I want to do but no time to do them. Also, I’m at a point where I want to take time off yet the demands of my time at work is at an all-time high. It is a precarious position to be in and one in which I hope you never find yourself in.
            However, I am going to take a bit of a vacation shortly after my date of birth and I’m planning on a nice road trip on my motorcycle. This makes me happy and gives me something to look forward to. I’m planning on going out alone and seeing some things on my bucket list. This is the point in life I seem to be at. I am going to try and check off the little things on the list. As for the big things… well, they will have to wait until I am much wealthier. As for the list, well, I figure this is a good place as any to post my dreams:

1.      Galapagos Islands: to see nature unfettered with minimal disturbance by mankind, to me, would be sheer joy. Plus I get to see my favorite bird of all time; the Blue Footed Boobie.

2.      Alaska: Ever since I was a kid paging through Nation Geographic, Boys Life and Popular Mechanics looking at the ads for young men to come work on the pipe line, I have wanted to get the largest state in the US. And with all the recent shows about Alaska on the Discovery Channel the desire to go is ever growing.

3.      Grand Canyon: One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world right here in America. I have books about this scar on the earth’s surface and it has intrigued me all my life.

4.      Mount Rushmore: A man made carving where the busts of our greatest leaders and took fourteen years and over four-hundred men to carve on the side of a mountain and not one person died… that is a must see!

5.      The Badlands: you have to travel through them to see Mount Rushmore, you may as well enjoy the scenery of some of Americas greatest wilderness.

6.      Monticello: a Greek house built on a leveled mountain by our country’s greatest mind, yes, I think this is a must.

7.      Poplar Forrest: Jefferson’s summer home which he received in dowry when he married his wife. He also used this home as a refuge from the public. And, it is in the shape of an Octagon; HOW COOL IS THAT?
8.      Painted Desert: I remember as a child watching old western movies and most of them were filmed in this amazing landscape. Another childhood dream.

9.      Four Corners: The point where four states meet: Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, one can literally stand in one spot and be in four states at the same time. It is a dimensional anomaly on earth and anyone can do it!

1.  Tail of the Dragon: this is strictly a motorcycle thing. It is in North Carolina and  has 318 curves in the short eleven mile ride. 

           Now, as you can see, these are my top ten. Sure there are plenty of other things I want to do but I have had to trim down my list due to my age and my actual ability to achieve them. Numbers one and two are going to be the toughest for me since it is a money issue, but six through ten. Well, I could accomplish those with a nice long vacation. Unfortunately I don’t have long vacations but I am planning a trip where I will be able to mark off some of my list. The good thing is, I’m in an ideal location for three of them. All readily achievable. Which I hope to have at least two crossed off by the end of this year.
 
What does your Bucket List look like?


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