Of Buckets and Gardens

When the movie "The Bucket List" came out in 2007, it set the trend for dreamers and demanders to create their own record of experiences to have before they kicked said “bucket”.

As with most other viewers inspired by the tale, I sat down to make a list. In doing so, I realized that my perspective on my life’s journey was very different than the two terminally ill men in the movie and consequently my bucket list remained empty.

Looking back on my 32 years, it has been an exciting adventure. I do not have regrets. I do not have “I wish I would have…” whispering over my shoulder.

Trying not to be cliché, I have tended to live under the banner to “bloom where you are planted.” Changing cities, countries, jobs, and friends, I've pursued to love life and enjoy what each setting has to offer. Certainly there have been times of discontent, unhappiness, and longing for change; but overall I believe I have found meaning and delight in a variety of experiences every place I have lived.

I do not want to go bungee jumping. But if I were in the right place at the right time, I may be persuaded to jump off some bridge while attached to an extra strength rubber band.

I don’t need to sit at a street café with a view of the Eiffel tower or float in the salty waters of the Dead Sea. However, if my travels took me to the Champ de Mars or wandering through the Jordan Valley, I certainly would absorb both of these opportunities with pleasure.

I won’t feel my life is not complete if I haven’t seen a kangaroo searching for its breakfast in the Australian grasslands or identified the presidential heads of Mount Rushmore. Though these would be experiences I’d never forget, to be sure.

I’ve danced in the rain, eaten random raw and non-raw items, been skinny dipping, gone on a cruise, stayed up all night to watch the sunrise, ridden a camel in the Sahara desert… and the list continues. My relationships have been sincere and meaningful, as well as, silly and mundane. I have loved and I have lost. It's been a rich and extensive journey. Every bit of it, I'm thankful for and truly have experienced God's goodness and grace throughout.

This being said, I’m excited to see where the trajectory of my life is headed and curious what new opportunities await. Excited about the future and enjoying the present. No buckets here, just gardens!