A Bucket Full of Red

It was a pleasant morning in early May as I arrived at a local farm to join in the joy of fruit picking. There was a strawberry farm only a few miles away. Two long lines of families with young-in’s had already assembled 30-minutes before opening time. The pleasant morning air gave way to the heat of the Texas sun quickly as I waited to purchase my red bucket. As I looked around at the eager and impatient children in tow with there mama’s (mostly), I was remembering a time when my family picked apricots at a farm during our travels in an RV. It was truly memorable and a smile of fondness glided across my face and I wondered if my siblings had the same happy memory. This was part of the reason I had included “fruit picking at a farm” as an item on my 55 Birthday Bucket List, item #32.

As each family received their red bucket, anxious children scurried to the fields of strawberries. I leisurely walked to the far back corner where they had not cleared much of the weeds or tall grass and discovered a goldmine of deep red berries. I could have likely filled several buckets with all the red, plump strawberries hiding under leaves I found. We were instructed to only pick strawberries that were all red and dark in color. I also knew that size did not equal juiciness or sweetness, necessarily. It is often the smaller berries that offer the most sweetness. As I walked back to the entrance I offered to take pictures for mother’s of them with their children since I understood the difficulty of capturing the essence of the moment with their kids all together.

When I got back home, I cut up a bowl of berries to enjoy. The strawberries were so naturally sweet that I did not need honey or agave on top of my freshly cut berries. A portion of my bucket will be used for smoothies and kept in the freezer for such a time. If you have the opportunity to go to a local farm and pick your own fruit, DO IT! The taste difference between store bought and hand-picked is no comparison as we know. But more importantly is the memory of participating in the act of personally picking by hand your food. Children and even adults lack the connection of humans to earth through the act of choosing our own food from a farm. Getting back to this simple act brought about peace and a smile to my whole being. This adventure sparked a deeper desire to plant my own garden soon (item #3 from Birthday Bucket List).

Birthday Bucket List: 55 thru 55th Year

Last month I turned 54 years old and had a very uneventful birthday. No cake, no presents, no family or friends around. Not that every birthday should have a party, but after that disappointing milestone, I decided I needed to do something exciting. Not just about my birthday, but about my life. I’m tired of living for “someday” when it comes to achieving hopes and dreams.
I remember in jobs past, my younger co-workers were doing the 30 before 30 list. I’ve seen some 40 and 50 year olds doing similar ideas but not much after that age. I do better with lists in my life so decided to stop procrastinating and make a random list of 55 items I want to accomplish before my 56th birthday.
In no particular order, I came up with 55 items. Many of the items are bucket list desires while others are to draw me out of my comfort zone. Mostly, all items will challenge me to LIVE NOW, instead of waiting for the right time. Being that there are only 52 weeks in a year and I am a month past my last birthday, I am giving myself 22 months to finish this list. So throughout this year and into my 55th year of life, I will persevere to complete them all.

1) Karaoke
2) Skydive
3) Plant a garden
4) Take a self-defense class
5) Kiss a stranger
6) Hot air balloon ride
7) Visit the remaining lower 48 states (7 more to do)
8) Hike the Georgia portion of the AT
9) Live in an RV
10) Run a 10k
11) Learn to make homemade bread
12) Learn photography
13) Find the perfect reddish-orange lipstick
14) Have professional pictures taken with my boys
15) Celebrate New Year’s Eve in a different country/state/ city
16) Get out of debt
17) Scenic Train ride to someplace new
18) Create a signature recipe
19) Sleep under the stars
20) Fly 1st Class
21) See a sunrise (or sunset) in a cool place
22) Go to a festival
23) Visit 5 museums
24) Spend a night in a treehouse
25) Give up meat for 1 week
26) Go on a week-long mission trip or charity service project
27) Host a dinner party
28) Learn 55 Spanish words
29) Celebrate the Summer solstice with a picnic
30) Write a short story (about 3000 words)
31) Plan a girl’s weekend
32) Go Fruit picking
33) Go white-water rafting
34) Visit a new continent
35) Do a silent retreat for a day
36) Attend a Murder Mystery event
37) Conquer one of my biggest fears
38) Buy a pair of Cowboy boots
39) Soak in natural hot springs
40) See a Broadway show I’ve never seen
41) Relearn to play Claire de Lune by Debussy on the piano
42) Get a henna tattoo
43) Become a mentor
44) Attend a professional sporting event with my children
45) Read 4 classic novels
46) Take a watercolor painting class
47) Roller skate at a rink
48) Get a dog
49) Rewrite my will
50) Sleep in a castle
51) Get a home colonoscopy
52) Visit 2 National Parks I’ve never seen
53) Dye my hair a crazy color
54) Start a YouTube channel
55) Make a new friend

If you feel you can assist me with any of the items listed, let me know. I can always use a partner/friend in my pursuits of adventure. I will periodically write a blog on any items I have completed, especially if they were exciting.
What would your list look like? What are you putting off until “someday”?