Inspirational Monday - Bucket List for Life

We all have heard that saying, "Bucket List" but have you ever thought about what yours might look like? Do you recall that movie, "The Bucket List" with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman? 

Without giving too much of the movie away, I will say this...it deals with real-life situations from two completely different people who become friends in the process of dealing with their personal journey of terminal lung cancer. The movie is hilarious and yet, sad at the same time. I would grab the box of tissues before sitting down to enjoy this one. 

If you have not seen it, why not add that movie to your list of things to accomplish. It is a movie worth watching and who knows, it might give you some inspiration to start your own bucket list. 

From time to time, I think about things I want to achieve before I pass from this life and I write them down. I have an extensive list so far and with the world in an uproar as it is today, what better time to revisit those lists. 

Today, my Bucket List looks like this: 

Plant a flower garden

Take the train through the Rocky Mountains into Canada

Pick a “blow flower” and make a wish

Go to Church

Sign up for online college courses

Greet people first

Visit Yellowstone National Park

Meet all my new cousins I have met through DNA testing

Do something nice for someone else

Start a conversation with someone

Get a makeover (new clothes and all)

Take a long, extended road trip with no care in the world

Make time for me daily

Attend the Summer Olympics

Live long enough to see my grandchildren become young adults

Be fearless

Take a trip to Italy

Smile more often

Try to be more understanding of others

Go back to Niagara Falls

Plan our 2020 Vacation

Get out of bed and look for something to do

Visit the Eiffel Tower

Compliment myself daily 

Take another trip to the Grand Canyon

Call an old friend just to say “hi”

Be patient and kind

Identify my weaknesses

Visit Africa

See the Eagles in Alaska

Finish up all my current crafting projects

Make someone’s day

Publish my book

Make a return trip to Montana

Take time to be selfish - I deserve it!

Make a difference

Visit all the 50 states - I am more than halfway there! 

Start a new Glue Book just for my bucket list

Finish my second book

See the Whales from Seattle when they come through

Travel to Mount Rushmore

Obtain birth and death certificates/records of all my Great Grandparents 

Finish my Genealogy Binders for my Great Grandparents

Cut my hair short again

Just BE happy

Go on a safari

Visit Israel

See the Pyramids

Drive a Convertible

Plant a garden

Create more yard art

Plant a butterfly garden

See all my grandchildren before I die

Ride in a Hot Air Balloon

Camp in an RV Trailer

Travel the world

Identify my strengths outside of working 

Build my blog

Stand under a waterfall

Eat Mexican Food for 30/31 straight days

Join a facility where I can swim 365 days a year

Lose weight even with the health issues

Begin walking again 

Find laughter daily

Attend a Murder Mystery Dinner

Get more house plants (especially those that help with Asthma)

Own a hot tub

Be Thankful every day

Visit the mountains

See Shenandoah Valley

Eat Main Lobster

Grow my spare change jar

Write my will

See the sunrise for 7 days in a row

Visit a Tiger Sanctuary

Take a two-week vacation by myself

Organize my Craft Room (yet again)

Make amends with self and others

Visit the Golden Gate Bridge

See the Redwood Forest

Visit Scotland

See the windmills in Holland

Put my feed in the sand on a beach

See the sunset from a beach for two weeks

Skydive

Drink green tea daily

Get all of my photos scrapbooked our placed in a journal

Participate in a Breast Cancer walk

Buy a bicycle again

Learn how to quilt

Go on a romantic picnic

Road trip with a friend or friends

Eat Chocolate Fondue

Visit Epcot Center again

Sail off into the sunset

So, are you inspired yet? It is never too late to start working on your own Bucket List. Keep in mind, this is your list and it can look like what you want it to look like. These are goals specific to you. They can be simple. They can be complex. They can be achieved in a day or may take months to plan. Whatever the case may be...what are you waiting for? Grab a pen, a piece of paper, or better yet, your computer or your cell phone and start creating your list today. 

In closing, you can even date each item you add to your list. This way, you can date it when you achieve it. I do that myself! 

Now about that Bucket List...

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H2hsc2020

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For What It's Worth - my 2 cents!

25 Apr 2020
The Ultimate Blog Challenge

Today's prompt was sharing our 2 cents on news items. That resonated with me as I'm 'not' one who will sit for hours on end watching the news one after the other. I do good to get in one thirty-minute broadcast a day. My mom and dad could sit from 4:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. watching news after news and that didn't account for the morning news or the one at noon. No thank you! I find news to be full of gloom and doom...and there is enough negativity in the world, that I feel I don't need to waste my time watching it being broadcast on National tv. But with that said...I'll bite at today's prompt.

The other day one of our local news stations interviewed several people who had recovered from the COVID 19. They were sharing their story of how they have been dealing with this for the last 3 weeks and now they are in recovery. My first thought was, are you sure you had the horrendous illness and how do you know you've recovered so quickly? I say this, because I've been tested positive and have been dealing with this stuff since the middle of February and I'm just now getting where I can say, I'm coming out of it. Yet, I still have breathing issues, the cough from time to time, the zapped energy and bouts of wheezing, not to mention the pains I've experienced since the "YES" factor came into play. I wanted to call the news right then and there and pose a question to the person they were interviewing!

I try 'not' to be a negative person - and I must admit that being sick for the last 50 plus days has begun to take a toll, not only physically - but mentally as well. If I could figure out 'how' these people recovered so fast, don't you think others would want to know that secret as well? I have to say, I'm somewhat on the fence to actually believing someone only dealt with the wretched COVID 19 illness for three weeks or less and if that is INDEED the case, then more power to them.

The other thing I would like to discuss is "if" the powers that be have put in place - - ALL people must cover their face with masks when they are in a public environment - then why isn't that being upheld? I mean c'mon...just today, I ventured out to Walmart with my husband to pick up a few things - I was donning my mask AND my gloves. The worker at the door wasn't letting people through the doors until the person in front of them was at least 6 ft ahead. Yet, person after person was without a mask. Yet, just as soon as one of these individuals come down with symptoms, they are going to be the first ones to complain that more wasn't being done for their safety. Things like this just irk me to no end...even on the news, you see people with no masks when they show public places. Then the City Mayor makes a statement like this, "if you see someone in public not adhering to the protocol of covering their face, remind them they are supposed to be wearing one". NO THANK YOU!!! I value my life thank you very much City Mayor...I'm not about to get in harm's way at the hands of some other person who thinks they are above the law and can do whatever the heck they want to do - - yet, come at someone who is abiding within the premise of "if one MUST be out and about, then cover the face". How hard is it?

That's okay - - I'm going to continue being quarantined...I can't take stupidity on other people's part. I'm off my soapbox now...

Heart to Heart Soul Creations
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Crystal Ball

21 Apr 2020
Ultimate Blog Challenge

I wish at times I had a crystal ball to gaze the future. This way, I could prepare for what was to come instead of feeling like at times I'm blindsided. How many of you feel like this? I would treat it like preparation instead of doom and gloom. I'm one who likes to be organized, prepared, and ready to do the task at hand. Procrastination is 'not' in my blood...! 

The latter part of February before I got extremely sick, I purchased 20 bulbs to plant in our yard in memory of my mom. She passed away on Feb. 28 of this year after her Cancer returned. She had been in remission for the last 10 years. On March 1st, I landed myself in the hospital for 2 1/2 weeks (asthma exacerbation, tested positive for RSV and the Flu test, was negative). Since my discharge, I have been on strict quarantine since. Continuing to have difficulties with new symptoms surfacing daily, my doctor decided to test me for COVID-19 three weeks ago. Seven days later I received the results. POSITIVE!!! Yes, I could have used that crystal ball in this moment...my mom dies, I'm deathly ill and life comes to a HALT! 

Spring has come and the days are becoming warmer and warmer and the bulbs sit on the table. The thirst of the ground is being quenched by the rain showers that have been popping up and yet, no bulbs are in the ground. Daily, I look at these two packages of flower bulbs I wanted to plant in my mom's memory. I don't have the strength or the energy to go out and dig the holes for these beautiful flowers. 

We have been fortunate with my husband still working. He has also been helping with things around the house in the evenings when he gets off work. Each weekend for the last several weeks, it has either been extremely cold or raining. The bulbs continue to sit on the table. I sigh...

This last weekend, it started out rainy - but the day was salvaged. The sun was shining it was warming things up. My husband went outside, grabbed his shovel and began working on the bulbs!!! I was very excited. I grabbed my camera and said, 'wait - I have to blog this!'. 

There is an old tree stump in the front yard that I am going to do something with for yard art. I also have an old wheelbarrow sitting in the back that will eventually make its way to the front yard by that old stump. I want to put flowers in it too! If I had that crystal ball, I could see into the future of how it's going to look - - I must get well to make these things happen! I'm the one with the green thumb, NOT my husband!! He sees a wheelbarrow, not yard art! LOL Guess that's why I'm the crafter in the family. I think outside of the box. 

The tree stump is a perfect place to plant the bulbs we bought. My husband dug the holes around the stump. Leaving enough room for the old wheelbarrow in the future. 

 














He carefully placed each bulb in the holes he dug. (There are two different areas we planted them in). 

The bulbs are finally in the ground and I hope in the future (Summer sometime) we will be enjoying the beauty of the Lilies in memory of my mom. When I put the wheelbarrow near the tree stump, I'm going to plant flowers that my mom liked. It will be the flower garden she never had. 

I don't have a crystal ball to look into the future, but that's probably for the best!!! 

I love you, mom!!! 

Heart to Heart Soul Creations

H2hsc2020

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REFLECTION

20 Apr 2020
The Ultimate Blog Challenge

R E F L E C T I O N 

As I sit here and think about the last year or so my mind goes to many different scenarios I've encountered in life. In fact, I can't just sit here and reflect on only the last year. There have been many life lessons learned. Many failures and many accomplishments.

One of those accomplishments was starting my blog in January. I had been approached several years ago to think about starting a blog on crafting, but I didn't feel like the timing was right so I set it on the back burner. In August of 2019, I was approached again and I begin to put serious thought to it. I had been having conversations with my son in law about the ins and outs of setting something up like a website, the traffic, the how to's, and so on. I begin researching a few things and November I put things in motion. 

I already had a crafting page set up on Facebook that only a few people were following as it was where I posted my crafts that I had made versus showering my main Facebook page with them. I'm sure many folks don't have an interest in what I make or the whys even. I began tweaking this page and brought to life my Heart to Heart Soul Creations page to encompass my vision of Crafting, Blogging, Family Genealogist and Influencer. I added the H2hsc2020 so it would be easy to find. 

As I reflect on previous blogs I've written and the why's behind them, I'm reminded of the many triumphs in life that I've had. Yet, at the same time, I'm glad there were also stumbling blocks to navigate. Like anything else, there are always lessons to learn. That's where we find our strength, our resilience, our inner fight, and our will to survive. It's also where we learn what works and what doesn't. We are people and we are all different. I'm thankful that we aren't the cookie-cutter effect. That would be very boring and mundane, to say the least. 

I am sure my writing skills aren't perfected like many in the blogging world and that's okay. We are all unique. We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses. For me, it's in those weaknesses that I become strong and where I thrive. 

At times I get frustrated with myself...not for messing up or doing the wrong things but setting the bar very high for myself. I recall as a young girl when I was told I 'couldn't' - I'd set out to prove them wrong. It was always about the choices...those life lessons, the failures, the accomplishments, the accolades. They all go hand in hand. The good, the bad, the ugly, the indifferent, it didn't matter. Experiences are where we learn how to turn those stumbling blocks into the stepping stones. If everything came easy, when would we learn? 

I find it funny that simple things are difficult, while the more challenging things come easy for me. It doesn't make sense. I always want to think outside of the box, asking the questions when others go silent on. I didn't want to do just what the job description said, I always wanted to go above and beyond. Be a team player, excel and grow. At times, this is a wonderful thing and at other times - it doesn't hurt to put self on autopilot and hold steady. Both are important and very much needed in order to be successful. There's always a learning curve. The squeezing. The uncomfortable feeling of criticism and failure. It's in those feelings though I find resolve. I press in and continue moving forward regardless of how uncomfortable things are. 

Blogging is no different. I've written from my heart. Shared crafting stories. I've talked about my journey with the ancestors through genealogy and have written about many other things, too. I've read several times that blogging can be a place of venting, inspiration, education, sharing life experiences, making others laugh and so much more. 

Taking part in the Ultimate Blog Challenge, I have had the opportunity of commenting on many other blogs and receiving comments on mine. When I read the comments left from other bloggers, I gain insight. It empowers me to continue on the journey I've set out to accomplish and at the same time, they teach me where I need to grow.

There's still many things I need to learn about blogging and in time, those things will be in place. For now, I'm going to reflect on some of the comments that have been left on my posts. 

Talking about genealogy seems to be a big hit with many people. Especially when I share vintage photos or other memories. It's interesting to me when I've said something that will jar a memory for someone else. Those are valuable lessons for a blogger. They are like the bait and hook...

Many of my crafting posts have received many positive comments. I enjoy it when I share something and someone comments that they would like to try what I've shared. That's what crafting is about - - to inspire another human being. I enjoy seeing other's creativity and if they were to try something I have shared, I'd love to be tagged in that!

Talking about life lessons is a topic that is near and dear to my heart as well. It's through those lessons that I have learned how to be who I am today. I learned a long time ago, I'm the evidence that recovery happens. I'm living it daily! I walk it, talk it, live it, 24/7. However, one must remember not to become proud. I remain humble on a daily basis. When I share my life journey with others I do so from a place of strength, hope, acceptance,  transformation, honesty, rejection, failure, learning, abandonment, my truth, loss, empowerment, inspiration, peace, brokenness, humility, and grace. It takes all of these to BECOME...

Reflection...looking at the person in the mirror staring back at me, am I happy with who I see? YES, I am! 

Heart to Heart Soul Creations

H2hsc2020

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