Bucket Lists Redux
Yes, I've talked about these before but now I'm actually getting
into the idea of making a list because all of a sudden I’m finding myself
really wanting to do things that no one would expect me to try.
I just scratched off another idea – ziplines.
Now, you have to understand, when I first mentioned this to the husband he
looked at me like he didn’t even know who was talking; or like I had grown
an extra head; or perhaps I needed to be committed. It was something he wouldn’t
ever touch, and probably would forget about anyway. Nevertheless, I felt it was
my way of proving that the arthritis wouldn’t get me; and that there was life
in the old (okay, maybe more middle aged) girl yet. I think we also have to
just challenge ourselves regularly to keep the blood moving.
In December, we went to Costa Rica, where ziplining is a very
popular tourist event, and was included in our tour package. Then again, there
was also some horseback riding offered too. That will never be on my bucket
list and I declined. Even if they could get me on the horse, I think they’d
need Paul Bunyan to get me off. My joints would never forgive me.
However, I really was looking forward to going. And all of a
sudden, the hubby was into it as well. Getting suited up wasn’t easy, but I
managed. And trust me, ladies, those helmets, while good for safety, are a
disaster for your hair. Fortunately, mine is short so it worked out. This set
of ziplines requires you to wear very heavy gloves because that’s how you
brake. Of course, you can’t brake too soon or you’ll be left dangling off the
cliff. And you can’t brake too late or you could hit one of the guides as you
arrive for a hard landing. Nevertheless, I loved it. What I hadn’t realized
though is that ziplines don’t come as a single event—there were seven of them.
By the fourth one, I was wearing out. But I refused to give up and managed to
finish all of --them, even if I wasn’t standing up straight at the end. It was
a wonderful experience, and proved that I can challenge myself to some of the
big stuff and survive.
I should add that a few days later we were at another zipline opportunity but I passed. These were a lot longer and faster, and I just didn't have it in me to go again. Plus, I think my body was still recovering from the first round. I had fulfilled the list item; no need to push things.
What’s Next?
I have no idea. I only just started to think about what else we
can do, but some ideas are now popping into my head:
– Swimming with dolphins in Florida. Several groups offer this and
I’ll have to look into it. My family will tell you I’m not an animal person,
but I’m thinking that with the right equipment like a full body suit and some
gloves, this could be interesting.
– Snorkeling, almost anywhere. Again, I’m not great with
underwater stuff but there are places where I hear that there is more beauty
underwater than above ground, so that might work.
– Visiting Antarctica. After this winter in New Jersey, I really
am not big on the cold but supposedly they provide the coats so who knows. That’s
probably a lot further down on the list though.
– Flying in a small plane. Again, something that terrifies me but
we have a friend who owns his own plane and has offered to take us to lunch at
the shore. Could be interesting, although they’ll probably have to peel my
fingers off the arms of the seat on arrival. I did the helicopter excursion
several years ago in Hawaii and it was stunning, but I did essentially crawl
out of the chopper at the end and swear never to do anything like that again,
but you never know. As I keep saying, we need to challenge ourselves.
– Bungee jumping. All right, this is so far down the list it
probably isn’t even near the list but everyone needs something like that. Almost anything else you can think of will
come before it. To me, it’s a truly terrifying concept.
