Bucket List

The movie The Bucket List was a great one. It is described on Google as this:  

Corporate billionaire Edward Cole and working class mechanic Carter Chambers have nothing in common except for their terminal illnesses. While sharing a hospital room together, they decide to leave it and do all the things they have ever wanted to do before they die according to their bucket list. In the process, both of them heal each other, become unlikely friends, and ultimately find joy in life.

It was an awesome movie with a great message to get out there and enjoy life. I have a list of places I'd like to visit and things I'd like to do. I guess you can call it a Bucket List, but there is nothing on it that I absolutely must see in this lifetime. It is more of I'd Like to See These Things If I Can list. It has the typical places like The Great Wall of China, Venice, Machu Picchu, etc. There are a couple things that might not be on the everyday common bucket list, such as Pompeii and the Terra Cota soldiers in China. So many bucket list places can be seen pretty well on the internet these days, although everything is better in person. The experience of doing is a lot better than seeing on a screen for sure. 

Some bucket lists contain things like skydiving, bungee jumping, climbing all the fourteeners, etc. My list definitely does not include risking death to climb Mt. Everest. In retirement, my list is more of a sightseeing tour! 

One thing I'd like to see in the near future may not be on a lot of bucket lists. I'd love to go see a rocket launch in person. I think the sights, sounds and feel of a launch would be awesome. With the current commercial space industry taking off, there are more launches now than I can ever remember. When you research upcoming launches, the list usually contains at least one a month, if not several a month. 

I think a bucket list helps one have a goal to shoot for and something to look forward to. I have read that just planning a trip makes a person feel good and that the anticipation of taking the trip keeps us excited and happy. You can experience this joy in your local city or state, you don't have to travel across the world to get that great feeling. With my quest to do 101 new things this year, I have found great joy in doing many little things. Doing small new things is like taking a mini vacation. You get a quick energy boost and a quick happiness boost for enjoying a small experience.

Do you have any unique places to see or things to do on your bucket list? Some thing that is out of ordinary and not your typical "See the Eiffel Tower"? Everyone probably wants to see the Pyramids or ride in a gondola in Venice, but does everyone want to see a rocket launch? Comment with your unique items and maybe I will get to add a few new items to my own list!