The Bucket List has been out at theatres for a while now. The comedy is based on two older terminally ill men, played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, who have made a list of things to do before they “kick the bucket.”

All the obvious things like sky diving, eating caviar, playing poker in Monte Carlo etc. are on their list.

I have had a bucket list of my own for many years. It has changed over time to reflect priorities, newfound fears or newly-discovered treasures. Like everyone, there are so many things that I would like to do “before I die.”

But as I write in the comfort of my home with no known life threatening medical conditions at hand, the list doesn’t seem that important. I’m sure if circumstances suddenly changed as they do so often in our lives; the list would take on a new urgency. The contents would also surely change as well.

My (this year) list in no particular order is as follows:

1. Rent a convertible for a weekend trip. This could easily turn into a week-long trip I suppose, as I may find it hard to return the vehicle after a long drive down the beach highway at dusk or dawn. I can feel the ocean’s spray on me as I write.

2. Visit Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia both off the southeastern coast of Canada. I have had a fascination for this area of North America since I watched Anne of Green Gables on PBS years ago. I fell in love with every aspect of it. I dream about it often.

3. Rent a beach house for a two-week vacation. Well this is an obvious choice given my love for the coast and the ocean. I could plant myself on the porch in a rocker and just stare out for hours. Do you hear the call of the seagulls?

4. Go sailing. I am a Pisces and I do love the water. I have never been on a sailboat and I can’t even imagine the shear joy of skimming quietly and swiftly across the deep blue sea.

5. Visit Key West Florida. My son and daughter in law went there last year. Their colorful descriptions have made my longing for this paradise even stronger. Can somebody hand me a virgin Margarita with an umbrella please?

6.Drive a tractor. OK so now that my feet are back on terra firma again, it may sound a bit strange even for me, but I have always wanted to drive a tractor — a big, old, red tractor. It seems so romantic to me. I could bail hay or plow a cotton field or just ride to smell the richness of the dark delta soil. Yes, I think tractors are sexy!

7. Visit New York City. The most exciting city in the world. The noise, the lights, Broadway, Times Square, Nathan’s World Famous Hotdogs. Can’t get any better than this.

8. Experience the Summer Solstice in Alaska. I think that this would just have to be the coolest thing to witness. Thirty days of night, (without the vampires, Dear Don) WOW.

9. See the Aurora Borealis/Northern Lights. I have to say that at the moment this is number one on the list. This would be a spiritual experience for me. I am constantly amazed by nature and God’s hand at work. I never tire of sunsets or the sunrise. Near the end of each season I yearn for the next. I want to find a low mountain or high hill, spread my blanket and await what must be one of earth’s most spectacular shows. I get Goosebumps thinking about it.

10. Visit New England in the fall. New England has that same romantic feel to me like some of my other choices. Quaint villages awash in autumn colors. Crisp days and cold nights by a fire. Homemade quilts and painted barns, apples and pumpkins piled high by the roadside. Smoke billowing from every chimney. I can hardly wait.

As I mentioned in the beginning this list is what I want to do if faced with a life altering decision today. I know that my list must differ greatly from yours. I would love to visit other countries and continents but I will not fly. I can’t swim that far and Dear Don hasn’t figured out another mode of transportation to get me (us) off of this continent. But the plus side is that I make for a cheap date. My adventures could start at any moment.

You get the picture.

(Contact Sherry at swhcsc@wildblue.net)