The Bucket List: Fill, Empty, and RepeatSidetracked Sisters

I’ve always believed in goals, dreams, and bucket lists. But that doesn’t mean that they are easy for me.

Back in college, I spent the summer of 1985 in Washington DC at a church Youth Leadership Training Conference. Everyone worked full-time and attended activities and training in the evenings and on weekends.

During one of the first trainings, we were encouraged to have daily “quiet time” when we were supposed to read the Bible and pray. One of the goals of this activity was to gain clarity on our life goals.

Unfortunately, God did not reach his gaze down and bestow this wisdom upon me.

I knew that I wanted to finish my degree, get married, and have 13 children. This sounded pretty godly and was approved–as long as I looked to and depended upon my future husband as my head and leader.

Yeah. Right.

I did love that morning time spent in quiet reading and reflection. Today I spend time every morning walking with my dogs, listening to podcasts, and meditating. It’s like when you are on a trip and you check your itinerary and map each morning before setting out for the day. Where am I going? What is on the schedule? Do I have what I need for the day?

My first bucket list had goals that took a looooong time. (From the time I began trying to get pregnant to the time Craig and I walked off the plane with our two boys was 14 years!) Throughout my twenties and into my early thirties, teaching consumed most of my time and attention. It wasn’t until I divorced my first husband that I had the bandwidth to think again about my own wants and desires.

When I met Craig. it was our first date. We talked and found we had a lot in common. I wanted a family, an MG convertible, and a shack on the beach. We both also agreed that we would go skydiving together. He seemed game for any fun I wanted to get into and was good with my goals.