Watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Bucket List recently made me realize I’m completely terrified of growing old, forgetting what I once knew and seeing what once were the most important things in my life wither into spotty memories. In the latter movie, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, both riddled with cancer, compile a list of things they want to do before they “kick the bucket” and then proceed to execute said list. They jump out of an airplane. They see the pyramids in Egypt. They go on a safari. They, in short, experience. It’s not a great movie but a perspective-filled one. At one point, Nicholson says, “We live and we die and the wheels on the bus go round and round.”

We sometimes, I think, lose sight of the living part. Yes, I want to and will have children. I want to go on Wheel of Fortune to win some money to pay off student loans. I want to write a book and etcetera, etcetera (all those things I mentioned in the post below). We always talk about the things we’d love to do, focusing more on those someday aspirations than today’s. What about what we have done? What we’ve accomplished. What have you done already? And what are you happy that you’ve done?

Me, I’ve written cover stories. I’ve started a blog. I’ve shot a gun. I’ve gone fishing. I’ve interviewed legends and inspirations, some of them my own. I’ve gone over 150 mph in a car (well, shotgun). I’ve gotten speeding tickets and, subsequently, my license suspended. I’ve gotten wasted, wished I didn’t and then did it again. I’ve seen a Black man become president. I’ve fallen in love. I’ve gotten my heart broken. I’ve gotten four tattoos and two piercings. I took one out. I’ve witnessed two marriages–my mom’s and my dad’s. I’ve gotten stung by a bee. I’ve sung in a choir. I’ve modeled and auditioned for a play (as a kid). I’ve taken ballet. I’ve inspired at least one person through my writing. I’ve played in the snow. I’ve changed my style. I’ve seen the great playwright August Wilson AT an August Wilson play months before his death.

I’ve had no regrets. So I’m thinking growing old isn’t half bad…especially the growing part.

What have you done? (Seriously…I want to hear from people lol)