No More Bucket List

I think it’s come time to retire the Bucket List.

No, I don’t want to stop pursuing living life to the fullest, and yes there are some things that are on there that I would still like to do one day. But think it’s time to stop lifting up those things as if my life isn’t complete if I don’t complete those things.

Also, I feel like this comes into slight conflict with my faith. Nothing too drastic, but it makes me think about how I feel like I need to do these things, like Christ isn’t enough to fulfil my life. I can live a full and abundant life if I only pursue Christ and only complete 1 or 2 things on that list.

That’s not to say I shouldn’t do things that interest me. But the mere idea of a bucket list is those are things I have to do when in reality they are not. They are secondary, maybe even tertiary or lower in what is truly important in life.

I’ll still keep the Bucket List category on the sidebar, and may still publish a post about completing something awesome I did on the Bucket List category.

To be honest, I’m not sure I have all my thoughts fully formed on this yet. As you can probably tell my thoughts are scattered all over the place. But I felt convicted about this the other night, that maybe the Bucket List has become an idol and maybe I should reassess the whole.

I don’t know, what do you think? Do you have any thoughts on whether a Bucket List can be an idol in your life?

Nanowrimo

Today is November.

Not only is it the month of Thanksgiving, which is (in my opinion) one of the most overlooked holidays of the year, but it is the month hundreds, maybe thousands, of people decide they just want to buckle down and write a book.

Known as Nanorimo, which is short for National Novel Writing Month, lots of people take this time to write regularly for one month so they can complete their dream of writing a book.

This is something that I have always wanted to do, in fact it is #61 on my bucket list. So I decided, what better time than now?! This November I’m going to write a book I’ve had rattling around in my head for a few years now.

Usually, Nanowrimo is for fiction novels, but this book I want to write is non-fiction. Even though I’m not sure if I get that special badge that many get for completing the number of words for their novel, but I’m more concerned about writing this book than getting that badge.

And who knows, if I finally write this, I might try to get it published… or at least self-published. Then I can knock out #61 AND #5 on my bucket list.

Number 6

I forgot to mention this! A few months ago I was able cross off something else on my Bucket List. Number 6 – Drive of a Race Car.

I did this with my dad. I bought him a race car experience that we could do together for his birthday. While I do enjoy motor racing, my dad enjoys it even more. He never misses a F1 race or the 24 hours of LeMans. He also catches an Indy Car and NASCAR race from time to time.

We did what is called Dirt Racing Experience. We went to an oval dirt track just outside Mesquite called the Devil’s Bowl Speedway. We each hopped into some Late Model Dirt Racers with about 6 other guys and did about 10 laps. We both have the shared experience of struggling with the manual transmission at first because neither of us have driven a manual in over a decade. To be honest, we drove just fine, it was getting going without stalling is what we were both worried about. haha.

I really enjoyed it. I gave me ten laps to pretend I was a race car driver. Maybe in another life where I was braver I would have enjoyed being a race car driver

I do also have another driving experience on my Bucket List. Number 133 is to go to Germany and experience the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit. One of the most famous tracks in the world due to it’s length and difficultly.

Hopefully I’ll be able to make it over there during my time in Europe, but until then, here is Richard Hammond when he was part of Top Gear trying to drive a Formula One race car.

The Book of Mormon!

Number 43 on my bucket list is to see a show on Broadway. While Broadway is in New York, the West End is in London and basically the same thing.

I’ve always enjoyed musicals and have always wanted to watch a professional show, so during my last trip into London, I decided I was going to watch a show, and I was not disappointed.

Being a fan of Southpark for so many years, I decided to see “The Book of Mormon.” It was extremely well written, well sung, well directed, and not to mention hilarious! (It didn’t hurt that it won the Tony Award for best musical in 2011)! It’s definitely not for the easily offended, but it’s commentary on the naivety of people and the sometime ridiculous things religion says and does to convert people. It was careful not to make fun of God or Jesus themselves, but instead focused its satire on the man made part of religion.

But that’s just for deep thinkers like myself. If you just want a good show with some good laughs, this is a show for you! Below is a view of the stage from my seat. I was in the balcony, but the seats were fantastic!

This definitely will not be the last time I go see a show. I just need to figure out which one I’m going to see next.

Number 122

Number 126 on my bucket list is to “Live out of one bag for an extended time”

Okay, so technically I’ve been living out of three bags. But the point of putting that particular thing on the bucket list was to challenge myself to live with less. It was to help me with my ongoing journey to being more minimalist (which I know I’ll never truly achieve). But at least for these four months during my mission I was able to live with less stuff.

Sure I have a storage unit back in the States full of stuff, but really those are just furnishings that are needed to live on your own. Furniture, cookware, flatware, some books, etc.

But I think the main thing I took away from this is realizing that all that other stuff is just excess, things we don’t need. The American dream says we need to get more, More, MORE!! But Jesus tells us, “I am enough.” And you know what? This period of living with less has helped me realized, I don’t need this stuff, and Jesus is enough.

West Bromwich Albion 2-3 Leicester City

Bucket List #34 Done!!

What a beautiful site! What a beautiful game! Even though I didn’t get to see my boys in blue, I’ve always wanted to experience a football match on this side of the pond. Like watching a high school football game outside of Texas, it’s just not the same.

We had front row seats, which were right on ground level. I got to go with a good group to celebrate Andy, my supervisor’s, birthday! Although West Brom lost, it was still a great match and a great experience!

Number 10

Done!!! What an experience. On Monday and Tuesday I got to travel to Scotland with my supervisor, Andy, as he was going on a pastoral visit to some missionaries located in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Also had the opportunity to go to Loch Lomond, the gateway to the highlands. A beautiful place, though due to weather I was unable to see all of its beauty.

During this trip I also was able to visit Edinburgh Castle (pictured below) and part of the Royal Mile. It was only for a few minutes and I didn’t have time to go inside, but even still it was a great experience to see. I was with a member of the Lifeshape Foundation and she said something that really stuck with me: “There is something special about exploring your roots.”

I absolutely agree. That is actually the main reason Scotland is on my bucket list. There are so many beautiful places in the world which I would love to see and visit. But there has always been something has has drawn me to Scotland, and that has to be it. My ancestry, my history. Finding out a little about the culture and location where your family came from even if it’s several generations back.

Even though I’ve been there and I’ve crossed that off my bucket list, I know that I will be returning to Scotland again to see its beauty and experience its culture sometime in the future.