Kicking the Bucket

There has been a lot of talk lately about “bucket lists” – things you want to do before you die.  I am not sure I like the term bucket list, it seem rather morbid to me, but that does not mean I do not have a list of Lynn’s Life Dreams waiting to be ticked off as complete.  Of course, having already done the #1 thing on my Life Dream list, I was at a loss for other things to populate the tick make boxes.  But I think I have come up with a fairly good list:

□    Visit the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia – I did this in 2000.  I walked up and down the Jordan Staircase and walked where Tsar Nicholas II had.  I looked out windows to the Neva River, seeing much the same view Tsar Nicholas II saw.  I had dreamed of that moment since I was 13 and learned the story of Grand Duchess Anastasia.  It was a dream come true moment.
□    Visit Perth, Australia – I read somewhere that Perth is the most isolated city in the world; it is further from another city than any other place in the world, and the closest city to Perth isn’t even in Australia.  I do not know if that is true, but it made me want to visit Perth nonetheless.  I have no idea what is in Perth, but that does not deter me from wanting to be there to see it.
□    Visit Oslo, Norway and Copenhagen, Denmark – I have been to Stockholm and Helsinki, so Olso and Copenhagen would complete the Scandinavian capitals tour.  Besides, I enjoyed being in the Baltic so much that I am looking for any excuse to go back.
□    See the Midnight Sun with my husband – he once mentioned to me that he dreamt of seeing the Midnight Sun and whether he remembers that comment or not, I would love to share that experience with him.
□    Introduce my favorite places to my husband – seeing my favorite places through another set of eyes is one of the best parts of traveling and I can’t wait to explore the world – old favorites and new discoveries alike with him.
□    Have a meal at Aux Anciens Canadiens in Quebec City, Canada – I tried on my first visit to the city to have a meal there, but it never worked out, and on subsequent visits, I have deliberately not attempted, knowing in my own mind that when I finally do get there it will be my last visit to the City, so I am saving that for a much later visit.
□    Visit at least one UNESCO World Heritage List site in every country on my must-visit list – I have ticked off three or four, but only two after I knew the list existed.
□    See Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland – my great aunt took classes at Trinity College when she lived in Ireland with her first husband.  She was a fantastic lady and I adored everything about her.  And while she never really talked all that much about her time in Ireland with me, I know she loved every minute she was there.  Trinity College Library is as much about experiencing a moment of her life as it as is seeing the books and being enveloped in the history housed there.

It’s not a long or comprehensive list, but it is the list of things that would be considered my Life Dream List.  Sitting down and categorizing them as must-do things makes them seem impossible dreams.  And while my life will not in any way be incomplete if I do not tick off the boxes, having the list makes me feel as though each passing minute I delay even one of them is a wasted moment. 

Best be off to plan the next adventure then...