Bucket List: Thrive List

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If you have read “C is for Conquer” you know that I came to realize

I had survived, but I still needed to thrive. Yea, it took battling cancer to help me realize that it is okay to thrive. Not just okay it is necessary to truly come to peace.

All my life I was so okay with just surviving. Heck surviving was a big deal when you had nothing. It provided a sense of accomplishment now and then. We were proud when we survived. A beating of the chest, yea we did it, kind of pride. Which in turn lead us to a false sense of existence. Oh and I believe this is where waiting for the other shoe to drop came from. Simply because ultimately something would happen and the next thing we knew, we were back at trying to survive.

I was in such survival mode that I did not know how to be happy or what made me happy.”  There was a day that Ric and I were trying to decide on something fun to do. Ric suggested many things, and nothing resonated with me. I shot down every one of his suggestions. Eventually he asked me, “What makes you happy.” I looked at him and fell to pieces. 

It broke my heart that I had absolutely no clue what it was to be happy. I had never thought about it and I don’t recall anyone ever asking me what made me happy in the past. I was speechless, and this created a turning point for me. Yet, it felt like I was trying to turn the Titanic .

Eventually, while battling cancer I turned that boat and created what many refer to as a bucket list. I would rather call it a Thrive list. It just sounds more positive. It took a while, but I did it and I keep adding to it as I realize what makes me happy. Most of the items on my Thrive list mentioned in “C is for Conquer” I have done. Of all of them, one of the best was jumping out of a plane. It was so liberating. I have always been intrigued by things that fly. This is probably where my love of birds comes from. Although, my love of flying things does not stop with birds. I think most anything that flies are cool. Like, fairies, angels, butterflies, dragonflies…. I am sure you get it…. I also love to fly on planes. The take offs and landing are the best for me.  

My husband, the wonderful person he is, knowing what was on my
Thrive list, gave me a skydiving experience for Christmas. I cannot tell you how excited I was to do this, and I did it first chance we got. We had to drive about an hour south to Casa Grande. When we got there, several people were scheduled to do the same. I was so giddy and excited to rock and roll. The skydiving people were very nice and patient. They suited me up and matched me up with an experience skydiver. I cannot remember the number of jumps he had done but it was a lot and how cool is it to get paid to jump out of planes. Talk about having a job that you enjoy. I would imagine skydiving is one of those jobs that feels as if you don’t work, you just have fun for a living.

So now I am suited up and my excitement is building. I am introduced to our plane named the Bird Turd. That cracked me up. Yea it is a small brown plane. There were five of us on the plane: the pilot, and two of us taking the dive and our tandem partners. Part of the tandem diver’s job is to keep their student calm. My tandem diver had it easy because I was not the lease bit scared. I could not wait to jump. I think I may have been a bit annoying for the other guy because he looked so scared. They made him go first then it was my turn and away we went. I can still feel the freedom, it is almost indescribable. I truly had no fear or anxiety. I was free and flying like a bird. I was weightless and unrestricted and wanted it to last forever. Then we pulled the chute and now we are floating and spinning and floating again.... I was able to see for miles and appreciated the buoyancy that birds experience every day. It was an absolutely exhilarating experience and at that time I was truly Thriving, and it felt Great!!!
You can experience it here on this video.

I encourage you to create your Thrive list and execute it when you can. My Thrive list consists of experiences, but also includes things that I can do on a weekly basis to get my happy on. Happiness is wonderous and a state of mind. I find that gratitude helps me to maintain happiness. It reminds me to appreciate and focus on that which is positive and good. Until next time have a wonderful week and Keep it Simple (KiS).