It was a cold, gray, Friday morning and I was in that fuzzy space between asleep and alert. When
my mind at last came into focus, I was staring at the same perfect perfume bottles on my dresser top
that greeted me each morning, poised and ready to spritz. For some reason this morning, I was arrived
at the glaring realization, that time was a-wasting' and it had been a long time since I had checked
anything off from that ongoing “Bucket List” that so many of us have rolling around in our heads.
Now, I know I've been blessed to have been able to do many things that others may still have on their list, such as living in Hawaii, climbing to the top of the Tower of Pisa as well as to the top of the Statue of Liberty, 6 months pregnant even, (later part of that one, not on my list!). I've attended a concert at The Prince's Palace in Monte Carlo, and even got to shake hands with Rosa Parks long enough to express my heartfelt appreciation for her courage on behalf of the whole human race, but what had I really done lately? The sad answer that frigid Friday hit me like a cold shower, nada, zero, nothing.
Where had my plans derailed? When did I fall off the track? All I was doing was living my life and skating through each stage as it came along, daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother, teacher, etc., but what happened to that list I put together all those years, -back in the day, ago? When will I ever be able to walk down that runway to “Here She Comes, Miss. America” if things keep going in this direction?! Which of course they must, or my name is Benjamin Buttons!!! It was then that the answer came to me in the words of a song that I loved & sang as a child, what if there was “a hole in my bucket, Dear Liza?”
Just imagine, Miss America falls out and is replaced by the joy of taking an out-of-work friend shopping at a resale shop, and paying for her interview outfit. Scaling Mount Olympus (as my globetrotter son has done) along with being on T.V. show aired around the world, (like my famous daughter) both fall out, and in goes giving a child the gift of music by patiently running flashcards of notes with her at lesson every week until she knows them cold, so she can now play her favorite song, The Can-Can. Now that's a real good one! At this realization, I feel true exhilaration, I haven't been slacking off after all! With the new hole in my bucket, I have the freedom to let go of some the things from my list that I no longer desire and replace them with those that I do, and can realistically accomplish at this stage in my life. A funny thing is, when I was younger, most things on my list had to do with what I wanted for myself or what others could do for me. Now, it seems it's more about what I want for others and what I can do for them.
One last thought, about those same perfect perfume bottles, it's now on my list to use them daily. My new mantra; Making the world a sweeter place for everyone I meet, one spritz at a time.
By: Carol Hengel
Now, I know I've been blessed to have been able to do many things that others may still have on their list, such as living in Hawaii, climbing to the top of the Tower of Pisa as well as to the top of the Statue of Liberty, 6 months pregnant even, (later part of that one, not on my list!). I've attended a concert at The Prince's Palace in Monte Carlo, and even got to shake hands with Rosa Parks long enough to express my heartfelt appreciation for her courage on behalf of the whole human race, but what had I really done lately? The sad answer that frigid Friday hit me like a cold shower, nada, zero, nothing.
Where had my plans derailed? When did I fall off the track? All I was doing was living my life and skating through each stage as it came along, daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother, teacher, etc., but what happened to that list I put together all those years, -back in the day, ago? When will I ever be able to walk down that runway to “Here She Comes, Miss. America” if things keep going in this direction?! Which of course they must, or my name is Benjamin Buttons!!! It was then that the answer came to me in the words of a song that I loved & sang as a child, what if there was “a hole in my bucket, Dear Liza?”
Just imagine, Miss America falls out and is replaced by the joy of taking an out-of-work friend shopping at a resale shop, and paying for her interview outfit. Scaling Mount Olympus (as my globetrotter son has done) along with being on T.V. show aired around the world, (like my famous daughter) both fall out, and in goes giving a child the gift of music by patiently running flashcards of notes with her at lesson every week until she knows them cold, so she can now play her favorite song, The Can-Can. Now that's a real good one! At this realization, I feel true exhilaration, I haven't been slacking off after all! With the new hole in my bucket, I have the freedom to let go of some the things from my list that I no longer desire and replace them with those that I do, and can realistically accomplish at this stage in my life. A funny thing is, when I was younger, most things on my list had to do with what I wanted for myself or what others could do for me. Now, it seems it's more about what I want for others and what I can do for them.
One last thought, about those same perfect perfume bottles, it's now on my list to use them daily. My new mantra; Making the world a sweeter place for everyone I meet, one spritz at a time.
By: Carol Hengel
Carol is the proud mother of Leah Korkis. Carol received her undergraduate from Western
Michigan University in Music Therapy and Music Education and later her Masters Degree in Special Education. Carol continues to enjoy her teaching career as a Private
Music and Special Education Teacher. In her free time, she loves playing her cello in a variety of
groups including local theater productions, as well as traveling, book club, cooking, playing tennis
hiking and biking.
