I woke up this morning with this thought ringing in my head: I want to take the family to Disneyland. It’s not the first time I’ve thought it. The Old Boy and I had the fun of going there in the 70s and we always said that when we had kids we’d take them there, too. Then we had the kids and lost one of our wages and life happened and I got sick a few times and we bought a house and then we sold that house and the Old Boy went to theological college and… Well, you get the idea: we never had the cash, so it never happened.
I used to pin my hopes on Readers’ Digest. They were always promising me big bucks if I just sent their pieces of paper back with the right stickers stuck in the right boxes. Promises…promises… Now my kids are grown up and, counting the grandchildren, there are 8 of us. It’s looking less and less likely. (Come on, Readers’ Digest, I’ve been faithful for years!)
We can’t have everything we want, right? I only have to watch the news or see the posts on FBook to know that people are suffering all around the world. Children don’t have enough to eat, or they’re sold into slavery, or they’re being sexually abused. IS is slaughtering people and sexually abusing women and children, under the impression this sort of evil is actually pleasing God. (They’re in for a big shock.) My own government is sending asylum seekers to concentration camps – they call them ‘detention centres’ – where they are abused and live in fear and despair. How, in the light of all this suffering, could I be so selfish as to want to take my family to Disneyland? Up until this morning I’d pretty much given the idea away.
But, this morning I woke up out of a dream where I was a contestant on “Deal or No Deal”. I told the host, Andrew, that I had metastatic breast cancer, which is incurable. I told him I wanted to take all 8 of us to Disneyland. Counting the airfares, the hotel accommodation, the tickets into Disneyland and meals etc I’d need to win at least $40,000. I woke up and instead of thinking, What a ridiculous dream! I thought, I really want to go to Disneyland with my family; a week away would be enough; I can hire a wheel chair once I’m there; let’s do it.
Other people get to do a bucket list. Other people get help from Make a Wish Foundation. Other people get surprised by television programs. Why not me?
Come on Readers’ Digest!!!
Keep sending in those stickers, Wendy. 🙂
Thanks, Lynne!
Wendy, just do it. I just did my biggest bucket list item. I intended to take the money from my mortgage, but in the end my darling Mum passed away and left me more than enough to have the holiday of a life time. I suggest you do the same. You can keep paying off your home when you’re 90yrs but you can’t travel the world when you’re 90. It gets harder every year. I’m so glad I did it, even though I had the accident and was in pain the whole time. I did it all inspite of the pain. Go for it girl!!xxxxxx
If I had a spare 25 grand, I would do it in a heart beat. But, we don’t have that sort of money and neither do the kids. Jeff is madly trying to get as much paid in to our mortgage before retirement. He says that at this rate he can retire in his early 80s! If we took it out of the mortgage, I would worry how that would leave him financially when I’m gone. On the other hand, I don’t want to be on my death bed, regretting that we didn’t do it. You can pray about if for me, if you like. 🙂 Meanwhile, I’m staying friendly with Readers’ Digest.