What’s Holding You Back?

In the span of four days, I presented my book at what would seem diverse if not, opposite audiences. The first was an Italian club, Circolo Italiano, mostly sophomores and juniors at the University of Texas San Antonio. The second event was at an assisted living center in Northwest Arkansas. The latter group consisted of 80-somethings. You might assume the two groups would be quite different, but that was not what I found.   

Times New Roman, my book about following my dream to live abroad reached members of both groups. Their eyes twinkled, they nodded, they smiled a lot, and they laughed along with me when I confessed stories of my struggle to learn the language in my late 30’s. Both groups enthusiastically shared their dreams and the trips they had already taken.

One man at the assisted living was of Italian descent and he told us about his grandfather who had immigrated to  the United States from a small village in Umbria. His last name was the same as the town. I was thrilled to hear this and expected he had visited at some time during his long life but he had not. He said it was on his “bucket list.” He and his wife have been married 66 years and she was now using a walker. It made my heart heavy that he most likely would not check that item off his bucket list.

He had had a long successful career, retired at 55 and then took a contract and worked another 10 years because he enjoyed his work. They moved eight times for his job. His wife said she would move anywhere with him as long as it was in the United States. And yet, they never made the trip to Italy.

So maybe the two groups differed in at least one important way. The college kids were already ticking things off their bucket list or had plans to in the near future. One student completed two study abroad programs in two different countries during one summer. Wow! That’s really taking advantage of your opportunities. Maybe they realize it will be harder once they have jobs and responsibilities, and maybe they’re not overthinking it as we tend to do as we get older.

At some point if we live long enough, it will be too difficult to travel long distances and navigate on paved cobbles. I’m cheering for all of us to take chances while we can. What’s on your bucket list?