The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity – Dorothy Parker
Twice a week, for the entire summer, my girls and I drove to the meca of cheer land–OC All Stars–for Faith’s J Serra JV high school practice.
And twice a week, for an hour and a half, little Kolby and I tried to kill time. We hit up all the chick magnets within the near vicinity–Target, Old Navy, more Target–and then ran out of money. Eventually we found ourselves back in the giant gymnasium, bored out of our gourd, with no air, forced to listen to a repeating cacophony of Demi Levato, while breathing in the stench of a thousand sweaty girls.
One day, during the endless cheer torture, I had an idea. I asked Kolby if she wanted to go on a little date with me to Starbucks and write a bucket list of fun things to do over the summer.
“Does Starbucks have air-conditioning mama?” she inquired.
“Yep and chocolate milk.”
“Let’s go!” Kolby proclaimed.
Once we arrived, we ordered drinks and found some barstools. I pulled out the notes feature on my phone and we got down to business. I explained the premise of a bucket list and how it worked. I also explained how sometimes people make these when they are sick or dying, but ours was a list for savoring the goodness of summer.
And, oh by the way, my very last summer with my son at home before he starts college and Kolby starting kinder…tear, sob, hiccup, deep sigh.
Kolby’s and Mommy’s Bucket List 2015
Play in Sprinklers
Water Balloon Fight
Farmers Market
Bubbles, bubbles, and bubbles
Watch Outdoor Movie
Beach
Duffy Boat ride
Flying Kites
Merry go round
Fishing
American Girl Store
Ladera Ranch Bucket Park
Pool and more pool
Ballet Lessons
Aquarium
Sleep in a Hotel
Climbing Trees
Camping
Guitar Lessons
Paddle Boarding
Movie-Inside Out
Vacation Bible School
Mini-Cheer Camp
Mani/Pedi’s
Go to a Play
Make Cookies
Roller Skate
Bowling
Get Ice Cream
Scavenger Hunt
Lemonade Stand
Hang out in a Bookstore
Mother Daughter photo shoot
Go to Jewel Mountain with Daddy (ask Siri for directions)
Finger Paint
Make Mud Pies
Pick Berries
River Rafting
………………….
3 months later
Here’s what I learned after checking off the items one by one. We completed all but 4!
1. It’s not really about the list–the bucket list is simply an excuse to be together in companionship and relationship.
2. The little things were just as fun as the big-ticket items. The lemonade stand was a comical riot! Girls vs boys with the boys terrorizing the girls via go-carts and trying to derail their business. Girls still won! Yee haw!
3. Setting intentional time aside to have fun speaks my kids love language. It shows I am willing to invest all of me in her interests.
4. One on one time matters! Ironically, the best part of the bucket list was simply making the bucket list week after week at Starbucks. The twice-weekly date with the most adorable girl in Starbucks was a kick. Every second basking in her goldilocks and giggles with a grande Americano in hand is a treat for this mama. Normally she competes for my attention with two other siblings and a daddy. This time I was all hers.
5.Savor Every Minute! I have become so wistful and nostalgic as I prepare to release my son into adulthood. It’s made me deeply appreciate the last days of little with my youngest child, the long days of teenager with my middle daughter and every sacred minute with my boy-man before he launches off to grown-up land. I can’t stop the clock but I can sure make the most of my days.
Do you need to make a bucket list with someone special?
And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years – Abraham Lincoln
