Buckets for Joe

I wrote the following Note on facebook about two weeks after my dad died and I thought I would share it with all of you. 

(February 20, 2010)
Hi all,
I first want to thank you all for being for me during the worst time in my life. Its been so overwhelming the amount of support you have all showed me. My father lived every day to the fullest and died with no regrets. I am inspired by his life and want to share that inspiration with you all.

I want you to start your own "Bucket List" (the list of things you want to do before you kick the bucket.) So I ask you to start your own Bucket List and share it with friends, Family, co-workers, whoever you feel would be a great support for you. Have a Bucket Party....have everyone in your support group in one place. This could be something so powerful.

From some of us 09' and 10' has been an amazing year(s) for some us they have been the worst on record. Why not continue the good and change the bad. Half of the reason why we don't finish things on our list is cause we don't say them out loud or take the time out of our lives to really pay attention to the things we really want.

I was talking to a woman today who said her father in law spent his whole life working and right before he retired he bought a RV to take trips in. He was supposed to retire on a Friday and start his new life but died on a Monday. I don't want to be this gentleman and neither do you.

So I ask you to start your own Bucket List and share it with friends, Family, co-workers, whoever you feel would be a great support for you.

Help me turn something so awful into something positive and help the memory/life of my father live on.

Pass this on

So here goes...

Go to New York City in all four seasons
own a brand new car
Get married
own a German Shepard
Go to key west
go to a red sox vs. yankee game
Run a road race
get a talent that I could use in a talent show
be in a hall of fame
help 100 kids get into college
be able to chug a beer
watch a baby being born
be a godmother
get another tattoo
go white water rafting
Drink around the world in epcot
Get on Tv with a Rem Dawg sign
Go to Vegas
Turn 30 gracefully
Drink in the same pub my dad and Eddie did in Ireland and left his patch
Drink a really expensive drink at the Ritz in Naples Florida
Dip my toes in the pacific ocean
be able to change a diaper without almost getting sick
have children
Catch the big one on Mel's trip
live by the ocean
watch a beautiful sunrise/sunset
Do my 15th year at Relay for Life
Drive on Rt 66
Go to Hershey Park
See the Grand Canyon
Have a picnic in the same park as The Tanner Family in the Opening of Full House
Go to the Olympics
meet a president
run the Disney half marathon
loose 100 pounds
learn another language
Go to the Rock and Roll hall of fame
See the falls
Catch a few beads down at Mardi Gras
Go to Alaska
own a home
look fabulous in a wedding dress
Ride the Frisbee at Canobie Lake Park
Ride all the rides at Six Flags
Get a green light on the harry potter ride
drive my own jet ski or snow mobile at a normal speed
Never be too busy to go on a Nardone Adventure
get over my fear of heights
climb at least 1 major mountain in each New England State
go on a family vacation with ALL my sisters.....
have all my sisters/friends stop smoking
go somewhere that has a lazy river where I can drink
Do the Cliff walk in Newport in RI and Maine
get engaged with the perfect story (As I re-read to Kevin he said CHECK)
(SO MUCH MORE)

I am sad to report that I haven't done much off my list of things to do in my life.  As motivated as I was when I first wrote that note, I somehow lost steam behind it.  I need to more than ever start crossing this stuff off my list off my bucket list.  So I am throwing out a challenge to all my followers...help me cross something off my list.  I am serious.  If you can't help me cross things off my list, make your own list and share it with someone else.  I think if we all took a minute and really thought about what we want to do with our lives and actually went out and did it, the world could be a better place.  Corny? Yes! If it wasn't corny, it wouldn't be my style.

I hopefully will finish the race Sunday and get to say check one more thing....can you say the same?