If you want to talk about bucket lists, you could begin by viewing the film that\u00a0started the conversation about this topic. In explanation,\u00a0the 2007\u00a0movie, The Bucket List,<\/i> was my catalyst for mentally composing my own list of must-do-things before I kick the proverbial bucket. The film stars acclaimed actors Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman who both have terminal cancer. Together they set out on a journey to complete their own \u201cto-do\u201d before dying list. One of The Bucket List\u2019s <\/i>most comedic moments happens when Freeman [Carter Chambers] argues with Nicholson [Edward\u00a0Cole] about\u00a0jumping from the open door of a plane.\u00a0Although jumping from a plane sure wouldn\u2019t be on my\u00a0list, because I\u2019ve always had a\u00a0fear of heights. That\u2019s the beauty of the bucket list. It\u2019s different for everyone. For example, my long-ago career goal of becoming a network TV anchor now seems like just an elusive dream. I did get to work in small market Christian broadcasting for years, but never moved up the ranks. I\u2019ve often thought how great it would be to sit in Diane Sawyer\u2019s chair just for a night, but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s going to happen anytime soon. Still, you will find getting back into TV on my list, despite the fact that I\u2019m fifty-something.<\/p>\n
Also on my bucket list, there\u2019s my lifelong desire to see Paris which could be easily accomplished with a little mad money. I readily admit that checking travel costs to Paris has been a way of life for a long time now. Despite budget constraints, one day I\u2019m going to have to bite the financial bullet to make it to the Eiffel Tower.<\/p>\n
In 2009, after reading a book by New York Times bestselling author, Debbie Macomber titled, Twenty Wishes<\/a>, I penned my personal list of the 20 things that I would like to achieve before I die. Before that, my bucket list had only been stored in my overcrowded mind. After competing it, I put this important piece of paper in the back of my burgundy leather Bible.\u00a0Sometimes, I study the now tattered from handling page of my before I check-out of this world desires. I\u2019ve even been able to cross a few off. For example, a life goal had been teaching adults at college level. In 2010 that dream was accomplished when I became an adjunct instructor for Mount Vernon Nazarene University.<\/p>\n I had also wanted to win an award, because although some folks\u00a0think I\u2019m a successful writer,\u00a0truthfully I haven\u2019t made much money. Yet I have received enough rejection letters\/emails these past two decades to paper the bathroom walls. That’s why,\u00a0I began to wonder, if I was any good at my craft. It was an amazing surprise when last May I was awarded the national $10,000 first prize in the Amy Writing Awards for a newspaper feature\u00a0for The Lima News about a family who grappled with forgiving the man who brutally murdered their loved one. To read the article click here: Finding Forgiveness and the Amy Writing Awards.<\/a>\u00a0If you are a writer, please read More about the Amy Writing Awards<\/a>, because you could be a winner, too.<\/p>\n Just a few months later, I was delighted to find out that I had won another contest. This one sponsored by OakTara Publishers. My short real-life love story about experiencing the heartbreak of divorce, then being given another chance at late in life love with my wonderful husband, Larry Claypool, titled, \u201cFinding the Courage to Love Again,\u201d had been accepted. The story made it into OakTara’s Christian Romance Anthology, My Love to You Always<\/a>.\u00a0I was just one of 42 authors to be included in the book, which was released in October 2012.<\/p>\n Then more exciting news, I was also named a winner in OakTara\u2019s Romance Short Story Fiction Contest. My story, \u201cNot just another casserole lady,\u201d was included in the publisher\u2019s Christian romance anthology, I Choose You<\/a> which was released last month.\u00a0 For me, this was doubly exciting, because it was the first time that I was blessed to have a fictional piece published. Of course, getting to Paris, having a grandchild, and buying a home instead of renting, are still dreams that haven\u2019t been fulfilled. But that\u2019s OK, because this simply means there\u2019s more time for me to finish this wonderful journey called life.<\/p>\n Speaking of life, one of the most important entries on my list of twenty wishes is to, \u201cSave someone\u2019s life.\u201d I\u2019m not sure how to accomplish this. I\u2019ve been telling my husband that if he would agree to let me rescue a cute little puppy, I could check this one off. But alas, he has severe allergies.<\/p>\n A bucket list is a wonderful tool to remind us of our dreams. Because for most of us, it is in fanning the embers of our God-given visions, no matter how old we are, that can help us get through the difficult days.\u00a0 After all, having goals gives us something to look forward to; keeping us hopeful, youthful, and reaching for the stars.<\/p>\n Christina Ryan Claypool is a freelance journalist and an inspirational speaker who has been featured on <\/i>CBN<\/i>\u2019s 700 Club and on Joyce Meyer\u2019s Enjoying Everyday Life TV show.\u00a0Contact her through her Website at www.christinaryanclaypool.com<\/a>. She blogs at www.christinaryanclaypool.com\/blog1<\/a> <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you want to talk about bucket lists, you could begin by viewing the film that\u00a0started the conversation about this topic. In explanation,\u00a0the 2007\u00a0movie, The Bucket List, was my catalyst for mentally composing my own list of must-do-things before I … Continue reading