Summer Bucket List

Like many terms in the English language, bucket list has lost much of its original meaning. The term first came about as a reference to all the things one would like to do before kicking the bucket. Simply put, once your bucket list is done, you're ready to die. 

Given this, you can see why I was a bit disturbed when my daughter posted her summer bucket list on the refrigerator a few weeks ago. Summer "to do" list would be fine, but "bucket" list, I'm not so sure I like the sound of that. Despite the misnomer, she at least set some goals and has targets to aim for, so I can't complain about that. Being the great dad that I am, I helped her reach four out of five of her said objectives before Memorial Day. Let's take a look at her plans.

1. Ride Horses. Done. We signed her up for weekly horseback riding lessons. As a matter of fact she has already been on a trail ride and is preparing for her first riding competition next weekend. Remember the story about the helmets at dinner?

2. Go swimming. Two weekends in a row we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house and the kids spent about four hours straight in the pool. I'd call that one done too.

3. Visit my cousins. This one is a gray area. We saw several cousins at Grandma and Grandpa's house, but I found out after the fact that these were the wrong cousins and the wrong house. What she really wanted to do was visit my brother and his kids five hundred miles away. Technically she has visited cousins, so we could cross it off, but I think she would be a little upset about that. We've scheduled a trip for later in the summer. 

4. Go to "Bask and Robbins." I assume this means that she wants ice cream, which we've given her. She knows we don't like to pay for overpriced ice cream, but she does have a gift certificate, so we should be able to accommodate her before the summer ends. 

5. Go camping. This one is a done deal. A few weeks ago my parent's church had an overnight campout at the church. We showed up with our trailer, stayed the night, and went home. I think we can count that, but we'll do better next month. We have a few trips planned for later, so she'll be able to cross that one off as well. 

As for my own list, I plan to write everyday. Actually, I'm aiming for five times a week on this blog and completing a book. It's an ambitious goal, but so far I've kept up with the blog and have the first 3,000 words done on a book. We'll see if I can get it all done before school starts.