theboondork's RV blog

What if you have no bucket to kick?

2/8/2022

Click the pics before they kick the bucket.

Sunrise while boondocking at the old rodeo grounds, Ajo Arizona. A sunrise picture is hardly worth the effort without any clouds. But at my age I'm glad to see any kind of a sunrise.

A couple of acquaintances of mine have recently passed away, and both of them were younger than me, and it made me think about my own mortality.

I'm 75 years old, and I don't even have a bucket list or a bucket to put it in. It seems like nowadays; everybody has a bucket list, even folks that are nowhere near kicking it. They even made a movie about it, yet I've not considered having one.

I don't remember people having bucket lists back in the day, or if they did, they didn't talk about it. And I don't know any of the old folks I knew that passed away suddenly going mountain climbing or skydiving before they keeled over, but maybe they did but were too embarrassed to tell anyone.

I don't know what I would put on my bucket list, I've done most of the things I wanted to do, and now I'm pretty happy just doing the things I do every day. So I guess it's possible to wait too long to make a bucket list. Because at 75, I'm not sure if I could physically do anything that might be interesting to me anymore. And the things that I was interested in doing ten years ago, hold no interest for me today.

I think the next time I go to Home Depot, I'll pick up one of those big orange buckets and keep it handy just in case I have some ideas about what to put in it, but so far, I can't think of anything I could put on a list that would make me any happier than I am right now..... Although winning the lottery would be a good start.

Theboondork

Early-morning Sandhill Cranes

Angry Sandhill Crane threatening to kill the nearest photographer.

Barrel racer Pima County Fairgrounds.

Red rose Pima County Fairgrounds.

Full moon Pima County Fairgrounds.

6 Comments

OFM

2/8/2022 04:12:56 pm

I figure your bucket list is topped with getting a proper truck camper for your winter season lifestyle. After that you seem to be pretty leveled out and I wish you luck with that effort.

Tom

2/8/2022 05:47:03 pm

Thank you Barney, I appreciate that. Yeah, a replacement slide in the truck camper for the bronco really is what I need. In Phoenix, they have some large RV dealers at least one of which seems to specialize in truck campers. So when I leave Ajo I may mosey over to Phoenix and see if I can find a used camper so cheap even I can afford it.

If I buy something while I'm traveling I have to buy from a dealer because I have to be able to trade in the bronco or I'll have too many truck campers to fit in my truck.

If that doesn't work I'll have to wait till I get back to Denver, where I can sell the bronco to an individual and then go out and buy a used truck camper, while living in the Arctic Fox.

Tom

Linda

2/9/2022 05:22:22 pm

I won't be 75 for a few months yet but I couldn't find anything to put on a bucket list, either. I've either been there; done that or I have no desire to do that. It's really nice to be able to just relax now and do whatever comes up.

2/9/2022 06:22:42 pm

Yep, me too Linda. My life is pretty much based on living in a way that makes my life happy, easy, and as stress-free as possible.

And I don't feel the desire to accomplish anything. Which is why I can sit and do nothing with absolutely no guilt. Or wake up in the morning and drive for 200 miles on a whim just because I feel like it.

I have no desire to accomplish anything, and have no regrets that I should've done more. To me a bucket list is nothing more than things you wish you had done when you were younger, but didn't have the money or the time.... I didn't have a lot of money, but I always made the time.

Tom

Judith

2/9/2022 08:31:00 pm

As for bucket lists and what to do next: "The past is a foreign country, but so is old age, and as you enter it you feel you are treading unknown territory, leaving your own land behind. You’ve never been here before. The clothes people wear, the idioms they use, their pronunciation, their assumptions, tastes, humors, loyalties all become the more alien the older you get. …This kind of exile can mean a new freedom too, because most things don’t matter as they used to. The way I look doesn’t matter. The opinions I cherish are my business…..Kindness is what matters, all along, at any age…." That was written by Jan Morris, who died recently at 90 something and was a member of the 1953 Everest expedition. I think being old means freedom from things like bucket lists, which apparently often leads to selfies. Maybe I'm even older than OFM. I'm 76. And surprised to be here with my bad habits!!

2/9/2022 09:11:59 pm

You don't have to worry Judith, NO BODY is older than Barney.

There's a lot of truth to what Jan Morris said, but I would postulate that almost every age is "treading unknown territory. "Going from kid to a hopeless teenager, then to an adult with very little training on how to behave, and there's that dreaded middle-age to get used to. I would say that almost everything changes with each step in life. But becoming a senior citizen is the most important because it's the last step in life, so it should be savored and enjoyed.

He's definitely right about one thing, getting old can be freeing, because you don't have to worry about what other people think, and for the most part have no desire to compete with others.

You also mentioned freedom and for me that's the key to everything and especially the way I'm living at the moment. I don't know how long it will last, no one ever does, but I've never been so free in my life as I am now and that's very special, which is probably why every day flies by in a couple of hours.

Tom

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

What if you have no bucket to kick?

Leave a Reply.

Archives

CONTACT THEBOONDORK