This year my sister suggested that we take a cruise to Alaska during the latter part of August. This instantly appealed to me because 1)Alaska is the only state I've never been to, and 2)who in her right mind wouldn't rather be in Alaska instead of Arizona ("Hell's Annex") during the hottest, most miserable month of our year? Add to that the abundant photo ops, and the cruise line's summer sale for return customers, and I was immediately on board - mentally, at least.
Of course, actually booking this cruise was easier said than done. No sooner did we agree to go than our August starting filling up with events we must be here for, ranging from our father's cataract surgery to the publication deadline for our church's newsletter. And then there's the involved process of choosing which shore excursions we want to take. I think my sister is on her third spreadsheet and sixth Word document related to this; I expect to see a decision tree any day. (Just kidding, Sue; I really appreciate your hard work. Especially since it means I don't have to do it.)
Anyway, for the last few years the two remaining travel destinations on my "bucket list" had been the Greek islands and Alaska, so between last year's cruise and this year's I will have knocked them both off. Recently, however, I ran across an article on PBS's NextAvenue blog which suggests that the ideal bucket list involves emotional and spiritual rather than physical adventures. I'm good with that, since it's the direction I've been heading already - and it means I can smugly ignore the friends who think my life won't really be complete without a little sky-diving and zip-lining in it.
"...I'd suggest a different type of list, one with emotional, spiritual or
intellectual goals that can bring depth, breadth and heft to our lives
in the time we have left." ~Erica Brown, Ph.D., "What's Wrong With Your Bucket List"
No comments:
Post a Comment