Dream Makers

There is a retirement community in Asheboro, North Carolina that has a program called Dream Makers.  I saw on the news the other day where a 90 year old lady that lives there wanted to jump out of a parachute before she died.  Dream Makers arranged for her to do so.  It was filmed and part of it was shown on the local news.  She seemed to have a wonderful time and really enjoy her adventure.  I am happy for her.  It is not one of the things that I have on my Bucket List.

Over the last few years I have had to rethink my bucket list.  For a long time most of the things on the list involved traveling.  I wanted to revisit New Orleans and go to one more Mardi Gras.  I wanted to walk the downtown streets of Charleston and see the old churches again.  I wanted to go to Colorado and see the beautiful Rocky Mountains again.  I wanted to go to California and visit with my cousin again.  I wanted to go to New England and ride along the Atlantic coast again.  There are so many places I have been and would like to see again.

My bucket list now involves doing things on a more minor scale.  I would like to go to the beach and spend a week or two.  I would like to visit Maggie Valley and stay a week or two.  I would like to go shopping with friends and maybe eat lunch.  I would like to go to the bookstore with my cousins during the 25¢ sale they have each month.  I would like to just get in the Jeep and drive.  I would like to be able to go places without having to ask my husband to take me.  I would like to be able to drive myself to wherever we have our girls get together and not have to have someone pick me up.  I would like to just wander through the grocery store or other store and my husband not have to hang onto me.

It is the little things on my bucket list these days.  Having the kids and grandkids over to a nice meal is now almost out of the question.  I cannot plan much of anything ahead of time because that may be the day I cannot walk or hold onto anything.  I would love to sit down and read a good book.  I used to read at least three books a week.  I have not read a book in months.  My eyes are getting too weak to do much reading.  I really miss that.

I guess, like most people, I took for granted the simple little things in life and yearned for the bigger things.  Now, I would love to just have the little things.

I know that there are people who have never ever gotten to have those things.  We look at them and have sympathy for them.  We pray for them, give money to help find a cure for their problems and try to help in any way we can.  We never really realize that that could be us.  In some ways, we are in that group now.

Regardless of how the above sounds, I am so grateful for the things I can still do.  I am still able to function enough to cook a little, clean a little and enjoy being part of the human race.  I still have compassion for those that are less fortunate and don’t feel in any way that I am worse off than they are.  I love my life and family and friends and would not trade any part of it to make everything on my bucket list come true.