A List
“Do you have a list?” She looked at me like I was a little crazy. So I explained. “You know, a type of bucket list? Not the kind you make when you find out you are going to die soon. Even though being a Buddhist I’m supposed to always be thinking I’m going to die soon. But a list of the things you would like to do. You can call them your dreams.”
“No I don’t have a list”, and as she said this she still looked at me like I was crazy.
“Well make one. It’s fun. Just think of all the things you would like to do and write them down. Keep the list someplace where you’ll always be looking at it. And then do the things. Its way easier than you think. And you have money. This will be no problem for you.”
“I wouldn’t know what to put on the list”, and she still looked at me like I was crazy.
I shook my head. Not having a list was crazy.
But I was crazy once with my list.
One item was to see YoYo Ma play live. Not outlandish. But not something you could do every day.
Then came the opportunity. I read the notice in the paper that he was coming to town. Tickets would go on sale the following week. I sat in the office and told my friend about my list and YoYo coming to town and me not being able to afford the ticket price.
He started yelling at me. Not a gentle suggestion. Not a strong conversation. He just let loose and started to shout.
“YoYo is on your list! He’s on your list!! It’s your list!! Go and buy the damn ticket!! It’s your list god dammit!!”
Point taken. I bought the ticket and went and saw YoYo live. One of the best concerts of my life. And an item ticked off my list.
As I looked at this woman I realized the sadness in that she didn’t have a list. And worst, she didn’t sound like she would ever make one. Then I realized you had to dream your dreams long before you ever get to watch one come true.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!