Badassery Magazine Issue 3 August | Page 30

where I’m… a little bit older… and I still haven’t checked the majority of the items off the list. In fact, I think I had only checked off TWO. Sigh. The good news, however, was I still had the list (thankfully I had printed it out ‘cuz the Compaq went to computer heaven in the sky a long time ago). And more importantly… I still had the gusto to make it happen! In fact, I had more motivation than ever. After watching my beloved mother (who was also my BFF) pass away from cancer just six months after her diagnosis, it became clearer to me than ever, that you truly don’t know how much time you have left. Why are we all “waiting” around to live… ‘til we’re older, ‘til we retire, ‘til we get married, ‘til we have kids, ‘til the kids are grown, ‘til we have more money… when we don’t even know if we’re gonna be around long enough for that TIL to happen? And now, not only is my bucket list slowly but surely getting marked off, but I consider “bucket list living” a way of life! What is “bucket list living” you ask? Well, let me tell you. Bucket list living means always being present and REALLY remembering how precious life is. It means taking chances as much as possible. Believing in your dreams. Going after your goals and having adventures. NOW. Not later. But… “I have a full time job to work, a side “hustle” to launch, a husband to raise love, kids to raise and housework to do. How am I supposed to find time to be part of a flash mob and write a best-selling book?” you ask. Well, the answer is actually pretty simple. You make the time. So I dusted off the list, made just a few slight edits (I could really care less about a makeover, a designer bag or meeting Oprah at this point in my life) and set out with a new conviction to GET ‘ER DONE! 29 No, this is not some sort of wizardry I speak of where you can add extra hours to your day (I wish). No, the key is to make bucket list living a priority. For example, let’s say you have always wanted to learn to paint but you feel like you just never have the time, much less the money to buy supplies.