What is that “one thing” that you have always wanted to do but never got around to? Are you getting too far along in age to do it?
What is it? Is it writing that novel? Is it taking up painting? Is it visiting all 50 United States?
Is it something that is within reason. By that I mean, without trying to put limits on it’s possibility, is it something that is feasible during your lifespan.
Here’s why this came to mind as this week’s topic.
Last week, my wife and I were visiting the Northern Shenandoah Valley. We like to stop in Woodstock, VA and wander around. At the Woodstock Cafe & Shoppes, I talked with the owner about a book he had just published. Because one of my “one thing” items is to publish a non-fiction book for Seniors, I had some questions about the process. His book is titled Full Count (by E.A.Coe) and uses baseball as a metaphor for life. NOTE: There are a number of books by that title on Amazon, so your best bet to find it is on Lulu.com at this link: (http://www.lulu.com/shop/e-a-coe/full-count/paperback/product-23698379.html).
We talked about getting older, so the author/owner pointed out a poem he had written for the preface of the book. I thought it made a good entry into the subject of that “one thing” you still want to do, as you round third base (yes, I know, in many cases only second base) in your life. I’ve quoted it here:
Rounding Third
“I’ve driven too fast, and drunk too much beer
And danced when I should have slept
I’ve earned a good bit in the course of my run
But have spent a lot more than I’ve kept
I’ve played some good hands and folded a few
But always enjoyed a good game
I’ve won my fair share but when I did lose
Made sure no one heard me complain
I’m comin’ ‘round third now, headed for home
But purposely not running fast
I’ve still go some things that I want to do
And I just want this great game to last.”
— E.A. Coe
Quoted with permission
Wouldn’t that sound great sung by Willie Nelson? Some of us may be rounding second and some may be rounding third. But the highlighted verse is most likely appropriate for all of us.
The point is that as we get older, there are still things that we always wanted to do, but that we never got around to. The desire is still there. So what’s stopping us?
I recently gave a talk where I asked the question, “What is that one thing that you’ve always wanted to do but just haven’t done?” One woman’s answer was that years ago she had bought paints and she always wanted to paint. But she never had. I asked why not. She said she just couldn’t get around to doing it. I suggested that if painting was one of those “one things”, to just get out the paints, start, and see what happens. She did and she emailed a photo of her first effort.
Unless you’re 90 years old and want to be a full time astronaut, your bucket list can become a reality. Even being 90 may not be a deterrent if you have enough money to take one of the first commercial flights into space.
Henry Thoreau wrote that most people “. . . go to the grave with their song still in them”. That means finding that “one thing” and doing it while your still “rounding third”.
Thank you for reading.