I made it off with very little sleep despite my best intentions. I had gotten home around 7pm on Saturday night had not made any plans for the evening. I had some friends crashing at my place but they didn't need me to entertain them. I also had some friends celebrating a birthday at the restaurant behind my house. I did tell them to stop by and say hi when they were done. By 10:30pm a full fledged party had broken out at my condo and there were 15 people and a dog having a great time. At 12:30 I had to kick everyone out and get to sleep. That lasted a couple hours until I woke with my brain spinning trying to figure out what I forgot to do. The answer finally came to me - I needed to still get enough cash to pay the farmer. With that resolved I was just about back to sleep when a friend started texting me at 5:30 am. After chatting a bit I was able to catch another hour of sleep.
I made it to the airport at 8:20 thanks to my friends who not only gave me a ride but provided snacks for the trip. A 5 hour layover in Dallas included my parents picking me up and taking me to a great big breakfast at the Old West Cafe in Grapevine. I highly recommend the OWC eggs Benedict therE if you ever go. After my folks dropped me back off I finished my last details - cash, hotel, phone and relaxed with a cerveza or two before boarding. I was ready, or as ready as I was going to get.
The flight was uneventful, the best kind. After finishing my meal, they do still severe food on international flights, I started thinking about my bucket list. Now my bucket list was created in 2005, two years before the movie came out that made that term common. My list was just known as "My Top 100." The list was originally created as an assignment in my School for Innovators class. My friend Rolf Smith runs the school and had 2 rules for the list (if there were more I ignored them.) Rule 1 was anything can go on the list. It doesn't matter what the probability of completion is. If it's something you want to do then it should go on the list. I loved the rule so item #1 on my list was of course to go into space, something I first dreamed of when I was 6. This item is obviously still on the list but I'm still hopeful technology will catch up with my dream someday. Oh and that I'll win the lotto to pay for it!
I have completed many items on my list over the last 8 years which leads me to rule #2. Rule 2 states that the list should never fall under 100 unfinished items. My original list had 105 items so that gave me a little head start. I have completed many items on the list and periodically cross them off and add new items. During my 4 hour flight I thought of many of the items on my list that I had not completed yet that I am going to be able to check off when I get home. Living overseas was a big item on the list although I always assumed I'd go to England where I spoke the language. Living in Spanish speaking Costa Rica for 5 weeks was never on the radar but then again the radar isn't always the best instrument for life. I did have 'milk a cow' on my original list so I know I will complete that soon as well as do more volunteer work. (I figure the items I have 'do more of' may never come off the list and I'm ok with that.) Work on a farm, bunk with some college students, live in Costa Rica with a host family were not items on the list previously. I don't know what's in store for me but I do know sometimes the best things aren't on a list to begin with.
