After publishing my last post about the recent loss of an old friend, I find myself unable to stop dwelling on my own mortality.

This is not uncommon I imagine. I feel like any time we lose someone who is that young, or even hear about the passing of somebody under a certain age, we start to consider all the things we want to do in our lives before our time comes… before our own number is up.

For most people, this has spawned what has come to be known as the “Bucket List”.

We all have one in some form or another. . Some folks (the real organized ones) write theirs down and check things off as they accomplish them. In all reality, they may never complete any of it, but regardless, the list is real and an be visibly referenced. Writing goals down probably gives them a better chance of getting it done, but who knows. I’m not one of these people so I can’t speak intelligent about it. It’s a mystery to me.

Others, like myself, just have it locked away somewhere in the back of their minds, never really thinking of it until tragedy strikes, or something happens to remind us that the clock is ticking. Then we start to recall all the things in life we want to do before it’s too late, usually forgetting about it once the grind of every day life gets us settled back in our routine.

There’s all sorts of stuff I want to do before I’m pushing up daisies. For example, I want to see the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Park someday. I be always wanted to learn how to sail. Scuba diving is something that has interested me, and ever since I was a little kid, it’s been a dream of mine to learn to be a pilot. Although to be honest, I did lose interest in the flying thing when I realized that being an X-Wing pilot wasn’t a real option. Star Wars seemed so real to me back then. I really thought we’d have starfighters by the 21st century, but anyhow, you get the idea.

Bucket lists are important things to have. Even if you never action any of the things on your list, just having one reminds us that there’s more to life and gives us hope that some day we’re going to break the chains of our hum-drum, boring everyday existence, and do something amazing. This hope powers us though the mediocrity of our lives, and even though we will probably never do half the stuff on our list, just having it is enough for us to feel like we won’t waste our time here on Earth.

The problem with my bucket list is over the years, every time I’ve been reminded that my time is short, I’ve attacked one of the items on my list. Because of this, there are a few things I’ve yet to complete.

I almost know how to play an instrument

I almost finished my degree…

I almost earned a black belt…

I almost practiced yoga…

I almost speak a foreign language…

I almost got physically fit….

I almost write a blog….

You can probably see where I’m going with this. I get so focused on accomplishing something new that I never finish up on what I started.

Granted sometimes the loss of interest in a hobby came from discovering that I didn’t like what I was doing. Like golf for instance. I battled like hell to get that stupid ball into the hole. Once I finally did it, the thought of having to do it 17 more times was just too frustrating. Therefore, a bag of clubs has occupied the corner of my garage for more than 10 years.

But most of the other stuff on my list I still want to do. It would be great to visit Puerto Rico and a order dinner in Spanish. I’d love to be able to play piano or guitar well. I only need like three classes to finish my bachelors degree (don’t judge me), and I’d love to build this blog info something that can really help others struggling with the same mid-life issues I have.

So since I find myself now with limited resources, but an ample amount of time to reflect on all the things I never completed, it’s time to create a plan to finish all (or at least some) of the things I’ve started. And since I don’t plan on kicking it anytime soon, the Bucket List will have to wait.

I’ll focus my attention on the “Almost List” instead.

Once I’m in great shape, and practicing Tai Chi with my masters degree, I can write posts in my blog about playing guitar and my Bucket List…in French and Spanish… after Yoga class. (Did I miss anything?)

The bottom line is: set your goals and see them through, unless you suck at it, or you hate it (like golf).

Your Almost List needs to be completed. Not finishing what you started can cause more regret than never starting at all.