I saw a Viddy that Katie Couric posted, with a snapshot of her new show and a “Bucket List” concept that she planned to shoot.
It brought me back to Chapter 1 in my book The Naked Mom. I remember two years ago when I read Erica Diamond’s Bucket List blog and I decided to create my own “dream list.” I sat down to put my pen to paper, no rules and no restrictions.
It was so fun and freeing to allow myself to imagine the impossible, dream, wish, and focus on my personal interests – separate for the rest of my family’s needs (that’s rare). I blogged about it – the importance of setting goals and allowing yourself to accomplish anything your heart desires. I pulled out my list last night and I’m pretty happy to have accomplished many things.
Life is precious and there are many events that come along to remind us of that fact. I try to enjoy every day and mark my favorite moments. At the dinner table, we often play the “favorite moment” of the day game. We go around the table and share our best and sometimes our worst parts of each day. I love hearing my children’s highlights, and I’m often surprised at the things that stand out for them. The game reminds me to be sure I have beautiful moments in my day, and that I slow down long enough to appreciate them.
I have done so many crazy, wonderful and some may say INSANE things. Like some of my Wild On! stints. Ahhhhh those were the days, kid-less and carefree!!! Once I flew a home-made rocket in New Zealand that was tethered to a rooftop! (no liability waiver signed there). I swam with sharks, faced an 8-foot-crocodile in Australia, jumped out of several airplanes (which to date was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life). Yes, I was an adrenaline junkie but my fearlessness allowed me to experience so many once-in-a-lifetime thrills.
One of my craziest rides was when I co-piloted a Russian MiG-17. I will never forget the thrill of doing aerial flips and the feeling in my stomach when we hit negative G’s coming out of a loop! I had a lipstick camera mounted to my dash and a crew of press waiting on the tarmac for my reaction. All I could do was breathe, have faith and pray that I didn’t puke everywhere. Imagine in life if that was our worst fear. I blacked out for a few seconds, which was a bit terrifying, but I survived in one piece. I even made it to the bathroom before I lost my cookies – no one ever knew! Totally crazy.
I survived 9/11 after being grounded on an NYC American airline flight headed west to Los Angeles. That’s a whole different story and one of my life’s closest calls – having just missed a flight that destroyed too many lives. I will never forget the scare and gratitude I had to be alive that day. There are no ordinary moments, read my blog “Remembering September 11th – That Fateful Day” if you want to hear our story.
Every time I look at my corny Mirrorball trophy I remember my original goal, which was to just stick around in Season 7 for a few weeks. I had no idea Derek and I would EVER win. I had no dancing skills in the beginning but what I had was a fearless commitment. I didn’t know if I would ever actually do a flip, or a running split, or survive our freestyle with out falling on my face, but I was never afraid of that! My ability to try anything allowed me to learn to do many things
I have lived my life taking many chances and constantly trying new things. My daughter Sierra calls me a “risk taker” and she questions why. All I can tell her is that I want to live a full life. I believe that being curious is totally rewarding in life and in business. I hope that I will always crave more information, stay eager to learn, and wonder about many new things. I pray that I will remain fearless to explore everything that spikes my curiosity.
I will continue to check off my own bucket list and add to it. This year, I have checked off “swimming with dolphins” and I am currently taking French lessons with my children.
Maybe make your own Bucket List this summer. Write anything your heart desires, write everything! You may surprise yourself and remember some wishes you had long ago that have been buried. Kids aren’t the only ones who should be wishing on stars, throwing coins in fountains and blowing out wishing flowers. I do it all the time.
