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Health & Fitness

Bucket List Band Wagon

Bucket Lists : Every one has one these days, and employers want to know about it.

At an interview last week, I was asked by a prospective employer, " If you only had six months to live, what would you do?" This is a pretty common question I am sure, to some degree, in professional interviews. At least, it wasn't the first time I had been asked. For some reason, however, this time it felt different. It felt like I really needed to sit down and rethink these priorities in my life.

For the past several years, I have been what one might consider a workaholic. Working two, sometimes three jobs at a time, going to school full time, while raising a child all by myself, 80 hours per week was a slow week for me. If I was only away from the house 80 hours that week, it meant that I had Sunday dinner with my mom and son, time to grocery shop, and I read between two and three novels a week while trying to go to sleep. A busy week was closer to 100 hours per week of work and homework, and I would sleep through only one novel.

The past several months have been the utter and complete opposite. Being a stay-at-home mom, laundry and dishes have taken up the majority of my days as well as breaking up sibling rivalry. I have had a lot more time to add things to my bucket list. I am thankful for this time I have had at home, because I realize now that if I only had 6 months to live, I don't want to live it the way I have been living my life of work. 

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I didn't answer this interview question any differently this time than any other time, I just understand a bit more about what I truly want out of my life. I want to travel. I want to set foot on all of the continents ( well, maybe not Antarctica) and see all of the oceans. I want to see all 50 states. I want to attend concerts. I want to be able to look at pictures of tropical hideaways featuring white sand beaches and drinks that have umbrellas in them and have memories.

I want to learn to speak Mandarin. It is a fascinating language, and it is becoming a requirement in many business circles.

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I want to visit far-flung friends. I want to set up a non-profit for single moms. I want to remodel a house using my hands and not a construction service. I want to make a difference in someone's life. I want to write a book. I want to finish law school. I want to own my own home free and clear. I want to eat at some of the best restaurants. I want to maintain a size 6. (Haha!)

I don't have anything on my bucket list like skydiving or running a five minute mile. I don't have a burning desire to climb to the top of any mountains or go storm-chasing. I just have things I would like to do.I have realized that I need to spend some more time on helping my family to make more of these goals and less time working and dreaming of them. I am sure that you have a list of these too.

What would you want to do if you only had six months to live?

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