The only guy I know who’s ridden a bike to the Arctic Circle and climbed a good portion of Mount Everest—twice—has this to say about fulfilling your hopes and dreams: “If you want to do it, do it.”
As he says this, I think, can’t you do better than that, Steve Daitch?
If you want to do it, do it.
Really?
Where’s the awe-inspiring, soaring rhetoric? We’re talking about living our lives with passion. Purpose. We’re talking about pushing fears aside. Nourishing our spirits. Connecting to something larger than ourselves and focusing on the things that matter.
We’re talking about bucket lists.
But in his no-nonsense, get-me-off-the-phone voice, my friend offers something that might work as a marketing tagline.
“I never had a bucket list.” He then declares.
Not So, My Friend
Oh, but he does.
“You of all people know I’ve done more wacky things than any three people,” Steve tells me, contradicting himself and sounding a bit put out because he loathes talking on the phone.
“Everest. Caving. Repelling. Machu Picchu, bike ride to Arctic Circle. Helping those in need. I could go on. I enjoy the challenge of trying to do this stuff.”
Well, what do you think that stuff is, Steve?
Maybe he doesn’t write his aspirational goals in a journal, but he keeps a mental tally, nonetheless.
Why We Need Bucket Lists
A bucket list—a term derived from the phrase “before you kick the bucket” and then made famous by the movie of the same name—includes experiences or achievements that people hope to accomplish during their lifetimes.
Do an online search, and all manner of advice exists on how and why you should develop a bucket list. “Your bucket list is for those whopping, inspirational, mildly unrealistic, but all the while fantastic dreams,” one site advises.
“They’re the wildcards, and that’s what makes them so unique and beautiful. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to these wishes.”
Two Sides to Every Bucket
Tell that to Steve’s wife, Kathy. No slouch herself when it comes to globe-trotting, she might beg to differ on the dreams he decides to fulfill. His first month-long trip to Mount Everest scared her to death.
“Once the trek started the only way to communicate with the rest of the world was with a satellite phone,” she remembers. “I can tell you the connections were spotty, and few and far between. When Steve reached base camp, he called me . . . he hardly made sense.”
He hadn’t quite acclimated to the altitude and spoke as though he’d had a stroke.
“The next call I got we only had two minutes,” she continues. “Steve told me he hadn’t showered in two weeks. Always about me, I immediately told him to get his clothes washed before he came home . . . He called again in a few days. Still no shower. I didn’t want to hear about his trip. I wanted a guarantee that those clothes would be washed.”
She ended up throwing them in the trash.
We All Have Things We Want to Do
Today, bucket lists weigh heavy on my mind. Yesterday, something I’ve wanted since high school became a reality. Always Think of Me, my debut novel, published.
Only God knows what will happen next, and I’m leaving it in His hands. But I know this: I’d adhered to Steve’s motto. If you want to do it, do it. And I’m glad I did, despite the frustration and self-doubts.
Frankly, the dream seemed elusive at times. The novel lurked in the shadows, nagging me. Write that book. But when I sat at my computer, the words came, but the story didn’t.
In 2019, the story took root, conceived out of tragedy—something never imagined when this bucket-list item popped into my 15-year-old brain.
Just Do It
If you want to do it, do it. Sounds so simplistic, doesn’t it? And maybe it should be simple. Forget the eloquent prose.
“I believe you can control your own destiny,” Steve tells me, again in his blunt, plain-speaking manner. “If you’re stuck, what are you doing about it? You dream. You do. You can always find a reason not to, but you should give it a try.”
Amen to that, brother.
So, what’s on your list? And what are you doing to make it happen?
~~~
At long last, always think of me, has released—A Bucket-List item fulfilled!
Stevie has great advice, if you want to do it just do it. But also, if you don’t want to do something don’t. It is sometimes hard to say no.
A huge congratulations on ALWAYS THINK OF ME. Conquer your dreams…and keep dreaming.
Di
Words of wisdom do flow from his mouth on occasion 😊. Thanks for the best wishes.
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