Reverse Bucket List

Bucket lists seem to be en vogue. There is even a show on Discovery or National Geographic, or one of those channels that I don't watch, on the topic. It seems that ever since that terribly depressing movie, "The Bucket List",  with Jack Nicholson portraying a dying older-than-middle-aged man, people have been making and talking about what their Bucket Lists consists of.

Me? I don't have one. There are plenty of things I would love to do and places I would love to see but I don't feel inclined to write them down. I really don't want to be 82, pull out this list, and realize that I didn't accomplish much. It just seems like setting myself up for failure in some ways. Pessimistic?

Anyway, what I do have is a Reverse Bucket List. I post frequently in a forum, where my FIFs are, and someone posted about the reverse bucket list. It's made up of the things that you've already accomplished in life. Things that you're proud of. Things that others may not know about you. Things that may even make others a little envious. Things that may seem menial to others but are big accomplishments to you. I suppose it's a brag list but it was so fun to think about.

Here is my list, in no particular order, all since the age of 18....

• Completed over 1000 hours of volunteer hours in college.
• Graduated from Florida State University with honors.
• Was thrown in the Wescott Fountain on FSU's campus on my 21st birthday.
• Worked in the Social Work field.
• Have bought 3 properties so far, still owning two of them.
• Had a destination wedding.
• ATV'd in the mountains in Costa Rica, seeing amazing mountain towns, mountain tops, and beautiful waterfalls.
• Saw lava flow from an active volcano in Costa Rica.
• Baked a human being.
• Survived child birth with a failed epidural and semi-serious pre-eclampsia.
• Hiked with my toddler in the Costa Rican rain forest.
• Zip-lined in Costa Rica.
• Have traveled to San Diego (numerous times), Mexico, Dallas, San Antonio, New Jersey, Miami, Orlando, the Bahamas, and flying to San Francisco as I type, all thanks to my career.
• Been to San Diego Zoo twice.
• Raised a dog from a puppy.
• Fostered several dogs from a rescue.
• Survived an infant with colic/silent reflux.
• Experienced all that is good, bad, evil, awful, joyful, amazing in raising a toddler.

I know there is more and I'm skipping some, generalizing others, but those are the things that came to mind. I just loved, loved, loved thinking about all that I'm proud of. In life, we tend to be negative and focus on what we want to do, and where we want to go, wishing our lives away (or at least I tend to). Compiling this list made me feel proud and fortunate. It's amazing to say I have done so many fun and brave things in life.

I would love to read others Reverse Bucket Lists, so if you have a blog and you'd like to share, please do.