Bucket List
I’ve always had a bucket list in my head, you know, a list of things I want to do someday before I kick the bucket. One of the things I’d love to do is visit all the National Parks in this country. We have some amazing places to see and I’d like to experience them all.
Since my list has always been in my head and my head is getting older by the minute, I thought I’d like to put my list on paper and maybe inspire someone else to do the same.
Some of the things I’ve always wanted to do have been done. I learned to ride a motorcycle when I was 40. I actually rode all the way to Augusta, Georgia on my own bike.
I always wanted to live on a farm. After we motorcycled for a couple years, we had the opportunity to buy five acres of land around our property. We fenced it in and built a barn and got some cows and shazam! E-I-E-I-O.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Rick Bragg (author of All Over but the Shoutin’ and Ava’s Man, among others). I gave him a hand-turned pen as a thank you for speaking and he was so appreciative of getting a gift that he gave me a big bear hug. All around, a very memorable day!
I’ve been awed by the sight of an aurora borealis, thrilled watching whales play in the ocean, overcome by the breathtaking view from the top of a mountain, and just a couple years ago got to experience the wonder and joy of sea turtles hatching on Jekyll Island with my grandchildren, which was so amazing.
There are still so many things I want to experience before I leave this earth.
Visit all the National Parks in the U. S.
Visit the place my mother was born (Devils Lake, North Dakota).
Swim with dolphins.
Meet and have a meaningful conversation with Janisse Ray (author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood and Pinhook, among others), and actually, she’s such an amazing woman, I’d be happy just to listen to her talk.
See an aurora borealis in Alaska.
Learn to dance the tango.
Spend an extended amount of time with the giant tortoises on the Galapagos Islands.
Spend a day with Nancy and Priscilla (who both lived up the street from me when we were kids), the day culminating in a circle around a fire and possibly some spirits and a few comfortable chairs.
Kayak on the Altamaha river.
Experience a Key West sunset.
Start my own non-profit organization (I’ve already named it The Red Bird Project).
Visit all fifty states–twenty-two down, twenty-eight to go!
Learn to paint with watercolor so I can paint wildflowers (which I love).
Visit the beaches of Normandy.
Do turtle patrol for a summer or two or twelve for the sea turtle nesting and hatching season in coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
Spend an afternoon sitting on the front porch of 274 in the company of my siblings.
I’m sure I’ll add to my list more often than I’ll cross items off, but that’s the fun of it. To never stop pursuing the experience of truth and beauty.
This blog was once on my bucket list…keep moving forward!
I’d love it if you’d share an item or two from your bucket list with us…
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…you definitely forgot to list visiting your brother in Switzerland!! Just a few miles south east of the Normandy…
Absolutely! I want to do that even more than seeing the beaches at Normandy!
Also, since you got me started, I’d love to visit my brother in Mexico as well!
I want to take a motorcycle trip through the Italian, French, Austrian and Swiss Alps. Getting to enjoy the people and cuisine.
I like the sound of that…it sounds like a lot of fun! Let me know when you go, as you can see, I have a brother in Switzerland!
Yea, definitely – let’s have a family reunion!!
That would be awesome!
I have many things on my bucket list, many of which are the same as yours. But this one… I wan to get an old step van, fix it up to live in, and travel. I want to spend a year driving through the continental United States visiting family and friends, checking out our national parks, and making and selling my art. Want to come with?
FUN! I’ll come only if I can pretend to be an artist!
Ummm, excuse me. Oh, do you mean a visual artist? Because being a writer is just as much being an artist as painting and sculpting. There’s also dance, acting, music, singing, design, graphic art, cinematography, landscaping, and many others not mentioned here.
Of course a visual artist! I’d love to be able to express myself in a visual way. With words, I’m never sure if the person reading it sees what I see. I think each person walks away with a unique vision all their own. With visual art, each person may walk away affected in a different way, but they each see what I put there to be seen. (if that makes any sense…)
I am so sorry I am so far behind on my emails. I love this blog and I love your bucket list. I have never made one myself but I have thought about making one many times. I have done some of the things on your list like swimming with dolphins and I have seen many sunsets on Key West. Both are absolutely worth it if you ever get the chance. I too would love to visit the National Parks, particularly the ones out west. I also would love to do turtle patrol along with a permanent residence in retirement at the beach. I have seen Yosemite which is breathtaking. I finally made that trip to Europe this year which was fabulous. My number one would have to be a visit to the Hawaiian Islands and I would like to do it on a cruise ship that stops at the different islands and then see the beauty of each island. One day, I hope! I know things on a bucket list usually cost money and have to be planned but the truth is there is so much beauty and many parks right here in this state that I was born in that I have never seen. They could just be a day trip. I don’t know why we don’t stop long enough to enjoy a day trip. It is doable and affordable. Maybe it is time I stopped and smelled the roses more. Thank you for your thoughts Carol. Hope your Summer has been fantastic.
Your friend,
Susan Manry
Oh, Susan. How wonderful that you’ve experienced all those things! But you’re right, there are so many beautiful and cool places to see here as well. I love Cloudland Canyon State park, we used to go there a lot. We’ve been to several of the parks in the north of the state, but I’d love to see some of the ones in south Georgia. I’ve read so much about the Altamaha river in Janisse Ray’s books that I’d love to do a boat trip down that river. Day trips and weekend trips can be a lot of fun and I need to do a few myself… My summer has been great, especially cutting grass. My mom always made me finish my housework before I could go outside to do yard work. I love it when I leave the dishes in the sink in favor of going outside! It makes my day! Hope all is well with you my friend!