Closing In On A Bucket List Goal

Bucket lists took on a new meaning to me this year. With each item crossed off, there is an accompanying sense of accomplishment. There are still a lot of things on my list. The list consists of personal goals, many of which aren't that uncommon.

A bucket list serves as a reminder not to waste time. It is usually a list of things a person wants to do before they die. Have you ever heard the expression "kick the bucket?" It might be where the bucket list comes from. They're all things we want to do before we kick the bucket.

Most of what's on my list are items I want to do while I'm still young enough and am physically capable of doing. Some are things I want to do while the opportunity is still there. As much as the world is changing and with climate change issues on the horizon, you never know if what's there today will be there in five years.

For instance, how long will the Florida Keys be inhabitable? With the projections on sea level rise and coastal flooding by 2050, visiting the Keys seems like something to get done before 2030. Although, I would probably opt for a trip to Sanibel to relive my favorite trip of my life.

There are other places I'd like to see before I kick the bucket or before they aren't as easy to visit as they would be in the next few years. The Grand Canyon, the Pacific Northwest, and the Shining Mansion come to mind. Maybe I'm simple, but those are on my list.

Being adventurous at heart, I have other ideas as well. To ride a Harley with the wind in my face, whipping past my aging head that once had hair. I've never been scuba diving, which for a water baby is missing out on one of life's great opportunities. Even when swimming I've always been more at home at the bottom of the pool than at the top.

We all have financial aspirations. Mine are basic goals to achieve. Finding financial freedom is a dream most of us hold. I've been working on developing multiple income streams on the road to finding true freedom in my later years.

Writers want to write. Most who dream about writing never achieve a career as a writer. Getting paid to write frees up your time to do just that, write. It gives you the freedom to create, to do what you want to do, and to experience true freedom from the shackles of the world.

As a "writer," I of course have goals. Writing on both Vocal and Medium means I have different goals. I have a goal on Medium. It's a tough one to crack, but like many, I want to achieve the reward of being boosted just once. Of course, I'd like it to happen more than once, but you have to start small and when I finally get that first boost I'll know what works.

On Vocal, the dream scenario is to win a challenge. Very few manage to accomplish that goal. It's another tough nut to crack because there's no way to tell what will appeal to the judges in a very subjective contest. Writing is, after all, an art. Art is one of the most subjective things in the world.

One bucket list item that I am likely to achieve, possibly as soon as 2025 or before, is to hit a milestone. There are a couple that I'm poised to hit.

The first milestone I'm likely to hit is to have a story hit the 20,000-read mark. That will happen sooner than later, and it'll be my story about the Big Bamboozle and Phillip Marshall's suspicious murder-suicide case.

The big one, and the one I'm most excited about, is crossing the 50,000-read milestone. In less than 4,000 reads that milestone will belong to me and one of my biggest Vocal bucket list items will be done.

Thanks for reading, and being a part of those that will help me got over that magic milestone.