Letter From the Heart

Bucket List

The office meeting was about to start, and everyone was taking their seats. Just then I asked Jim: “do you have any travel plans for the end of summer?”

His response was my ticket to a bucket-list adventure.

Six weeks after I asked that question, Jim, his son (Jimmy), and I set out for a two-week elk hunt in the backcountry of Colorado. (Don’t worry, no animals where harmed in the making of this story… in fact, I didn’t even see an elk).

The point of this story isn’t so much about the experience – although it was epic. No, this story is about how was given the “hall pass” and allowed to pause my responsibilities as a husband, father, and boss for two weeks.

When I asked Jim in August about his vacation plans, my exact response to Jim was “Duuuuuudddde, that’s a bucket list trip!” Jim was nice enough to extend the invite to me on the spot. As the meeting started, I whispered: “let me check my calendar and then check with the boss.” (Meaning Caroline).

Amazingly the calendar was open, and I didn’t have any hard obligations for those two weeks. Now came the real test: getting Caroline’s blessing.

I went home for lunch after the meeting with Jim. Caroline was walking out as I was walking in. I not-so calmly said “Honey! Jim invited me to go bow hunting for elk.” Her immediate response was: “That’s incredible. That’s on your bucket list. You have to do it.”

Yep, I was as surprised as you are.

I already loved my wife, but holy smokes, that took it to a new level. Not only did I get the green light, but the fact that she knew that was on my bucket list made me so happy. How cool is that? She knows me well.

Here’s my point: I highly recommend having a written-out bucket list and sharing it with those you care about. I’ve done this for years and it’s a fantastic list to reference when returning from trips. It reminds you of what’s important and what you want to accomplish.

But here’s the “hard” part. You need to execute. Bucket list items shouldn’t wait. Everyone will agree that life isn’t about work, money, etc.. It’s about creating moments, experience, and memories with people you love.

Make your bucket list and then continuously add to, and complete, items from your list. Share it with the people you love and have them hold you accountable for doing those things. You’ll be glad you did… even if you don’t even see an elk.