What's On Your List?

My wife and I just returned from a long weekend in Cancun, Mexico. We had a wonderful time with my brother- and sister-in-law celebrating his 50th birthday. While we had some great conversations, I will never forget the one my wife and I had with our cab driver from the airport to the resort. Albert was a quiet, young man, probably in his early thirties. During our conversation with him, we learned that he was from a small village 3 hours west of Cancun and had moved to the city to make better wages. He wanted to make more money because Albert had a dream. His dream only became known to us through our questions. He wasn't going to share unless we pressed him. You see, Albert, it turns out, loves baseball. American baseball. And he LOVES, as he called them, the New "Jork Jankees." His love and passion for the game and the team became more evident as he talked. He shared how his favorite team of all time was the 2000 "Jankees" with Clemens, Pettitte, Rivera, Posada, and Knoblach, just to name a few. As he rattled off current players and their statistics, his inflection went up, his pace became more rapid, and his hand gestures increased. Suddenly, he became a little quieter. At a stoplight, he turned to look at us. Then, as if sharing a secret he'd never divulged before, he told how it was his life's dream to see the "Jankees" play in person. He already had a plan. He knew it would be very expensive to attend a game in New "Jork" but he would be happy to see them in Florida against the Marlins. Airfare would be cheaper to Miami than New "Jork." He had relatives he could stay with so as to keep his costs low. You could tell, this was a plan in the making driven by pure passion and desire. This was a "bucket list" item.

It got me thinking about my own list. What got me as excited as Albert as he thought about his beloved game? What has God put in my heart to experience before my time on Earth is over? I realized that while I've been focused on achieving my short-term goals that tend to get a lot of my attention, I had not kept up my "bucket list." We all need those dreams that, just at the mere thought of them, increase our heart rate and push us to make the short-term sacrifices required to attain the long-term objective.

I was in a retail establishment the other day and saw a saying on a plaque that made a great point in this regard:

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

I have re-committed myself to updating, maintaining, and regularly visiting my "bucket list." If you've got one, great! If not, I highly encourage you to jot a few dreams down and see what effect they can have on your outlook for the future. I am confident Albert will see his "Jankees" play and I know you will experience your own bucket list items, as well!

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." Proverbs 29:18