Lists

     I jumped out of a plane once. That first step out was the best. I'll never experience that feeling again. The adrenaline. The rush. My heart beating out of my chest. The sound of the wind as I was freefalling. Just thinking about it can make me feel that tingling sensation in my fingertips all over again. The carefree feeling was awesome. The problems of the world escaped me briefly. Floating. Dreaming. Not a single care in the world. Well, except for that whole slamming into the ground at 130 miles per hour with your head bursting open like a cantaloupe in front of your adoring little family. The family that came to watch you scratch this off your bucket list. Scratch the skydiving off the bucket list, not having your head burst open like...You know what I mean.
     I need to revisit my bucket list.

• Jump out of plane - check
• Sing in a band - check
• Drive a racecar - check
• Travel to Europe - check
• Eat a whole box of moonpies in one sitting - Not on my bucket list, but check. Check. Check and sadly check again.

     Lists
    Our lives are filled with the lists. The grocery list. The "To-Do" list. The guest list. Your Friends List on Facebook. Your kids' school supply list. Your list of priorities.
     My wife loves to make lists. She's organized. Me? Not so much. She will make a list of things to pack for a weekend trip. Carefully and meticulously. She lists everything. Me? I once went to London for a week. I just shoved my closet into a suitcase a few scant hours before I left. When we go on vacation, she is the reason we do anything. Sights to see, restaurants to visit, etc. Me? Pancakes and cigars. I don't make a list for them. They just magically wind up on whichever porch I'm sitting.

     I need new lists. I need a list of lists.

• List of things that I would put in a chocolate fountain (Donut glaze at the top of that list)
• List of places that I would smoke a cigar. (Machu Picchu and Denny's come to mind)
• List of actors that would play me in a movie. - I already have that list written. It's one person long. Denzel Washington.
• List of singers I'd want to sing at my funeral (Foo Fighters doing a rendition of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" could be heartwarming)

     I'm pushing 50. The list of people that ask me for an ID when I buy beer is down to zero. Zero people on that list. The list of things that I have yet to do is shrinking. I need new lists. We all need new lists. My kids are growing up so fast. I want their lists to be full. I want the grocery lists and the "to-do" lists to take a backseat to the important lists. Lists like "The major League Ballparks that I have visited" or "The Broadway Plays that I have seen'. They don't need to focus on lists like our dog  Charlie has. "Places on the couch that I have humped" or "Oh the places I've peed".
     I am dropping the list of things to worry about or stress over. I'm writing news lists. Who knows, maybe they will change my life. Maybe, when my time is up, The Foo Fighters will sing "That Old Rugged Cross" as they lower Denzel Washington into my grave. If you are there, smoke a cigar for me and dip a moonpie in the donut glaze that is pouring from a chocolate fountain Over Yonder.