Only One Life To Live – Will Yours Be Fulfilled?

Only One Life To Live – Will Yours Be Fulfilled?

As children looking into the future the world may seem grand and with so many  possibilities, or it may appear vast and scary.  I was raised on an army base in the lower mainland of British Columbia in Canada and the American border crossing was, literally minutes away from our hometown.  Yet, it wasn’t until I was nineteen years of age that I crossed over that forbidden line into this land of hopes and dreams.  When I asked my mother why we never took even so much as a day trip over to the US side she responded, “It just didn’t feel safe to do so.”  News stations from over the border, most likely helped set that sense of concern into her world and being a protective mother of six she kept us in what she felt was a safe and familiar zone.

I believe fear of the unknown stops many of us in our tracks and keeps us from exploring beyond our garden fence.  But, I also feel that there are a certain few who feel complacent and content with where their lives are established, and with that comfort of home and community do not need more to be fulfilled and happy.

So, as I write this blog concerning a “Bucket List” of sorts (things to do before my life is through) I need you to realize that it is worth dreaming big but not to be disappointed if some of those dreams and aspirations change with time and conditions.  A “Life List … or To-Do List” would be much different written through the eyes of a child verses one who has lived life a little longer with a family raised and responsibilities to others lessened.

In another blog I will include some of my life hopes and dreams, but before I do so I would like to challenge my readers to put pen to paper and jot down a few of your own desires.  Make them your own but do not be afraid to make some of those wishes ones you share with important people in your life.  One of my wish list items actually is that of a dear friend who has a fascination with Scotland and the centuries where fortifications, clansmen and castles dictated the rule and power of that country.  We plan on experiencing this magical world by riding our bikes through the Scottish Highlands and staying in castles along the way.

I would venture to guess that as I sit, contemplate and attempt to put 100 items of adventures and dreams down on the written page most of them will be with many of you in mind.  I do not live in a solitary world and gain my greatest joy when sharing life with those I care about.  So don’t be surprised if you find your name along side one or more of my dreams.  One of the first to be written will be to travel northward and place a bronze marker on the nearest shore of the northern waters where my dear brother Danan was laid to rest one and a half years ago.  Last week he would have turned 53.  What would he have planned for his life if he knew that it would have been cut so short?  Some of my plans will be with him in mind.  I know he would have loved to have seen the world.  I will see it for him.   Or should I say… “I will see it with him.”

In Other’s Words:

“You know, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death.  When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the guards asked two questions.  Their answers determined whether they were able to enter or not.  ‘Have you found joy in your life?’  ’Has your life brought joy to others?’”

~ The Bucket List 2007 Morgan Freeman on Death and Dying~