The great Tim McGraw once sang, “I was in my early 40s, with a lot of life before, and a moment came that stopped me on a dime…”
He describes a man who had a life-changing event that made him realize that life was precious and asked him what he did when he found out the news. The friend did things that the narrator did not seem to expect, like extreme sports, working harder to be a better spouse, etc. The friend then wishes the narrator the opportunity to “live like he was dying,” in other words, understand the great gift it is to be alive.
I hate this virus that we are currently battling.
I hate that it has caused my family and me to see less of our family and friends. I hate that it has caused many people of all ages to be lonely and scared. One thing that I know about this pandemic, though, is that IT WILL END at some point. We don’t know exactly when yet, but there will come a point when there will be a vaccine or the number of cases will drop significantly.
I am trying to make the best of this time during the pandemic. I am not waiting for the pandemic to be over to make happy memories with my kids, have fun, enjoy nature, etc. However, right now, it just is not the same as it was beforehand. I know that life is forever changing every day. Part of me wants to forget a lot of the pandemic once it is over; however, one of the things that I hope to keep is an appreciation for some of the little things that now I currently cannot do or cannot do easily.
I hope to look back at this list after the pandemic and remember, as Tim McGraw said, “… that tomorrow is a gift. You have eternity to think about what you did with it…”
Here is my list post-COVID bucket list:
1. Hug everyone… well almost! Hug friends, hug coworkers that I am happy to see, and hug family.
2. Visit the many awesome parks in Cincinnati while they are busy and chat with my mom friends while watching my kids.
3. Sending my kids to VBS and other camps, many of which have been canceled this summer.
4. Taking my kids to visit elderly family members.
5. Going to large kid activities indoors.
6. Going out for pizza after kid-related activities and squshing a bunch of people into a few booths and having a blast.
7. Going to a movie theater shortly after a new movie has come out.
8. Going to family parties with lots of people, sharing food and laughs, talking about old memories.
9. Going to the Reds’ Opening Day Parade.
10. Holding friends’ and families’ newborn babies.
11. Many opportunities for garage sales.
12. Our church festival and church picnic.
What’s on your post-COVID bucket list?
