Time to Empty Your Bucket by Ron Bradley
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The Bucket list. I’m willing to bet that most of us avid anglers have one. A list of lakes you would love to fish for that monster bass. A place that amounts to heaven on earth in your eyes. I had one of about 10 lakes, lakes that I’ve been wanting to fish for years but never found the time to. The only lake I’ve managed to scratch off my bucket list is Lake Okeechobee. As for the rest of them I’m afraid it’s too late.
You see on May 5th of this year, my whole world changed in an instant. Something as little as getting out of my chair emptied my bucket list in the blink of an eye. A pop in my back and eight hours later I had no feeling below my waist, no control over my bowels or bladder. I suffered from what the doctors called Cauda Equina Syndrome, the result of a firefighting accident I had years ago. The two repaired disks finally gave out and exploded into my spinal canal. Now I sit here in my adult diapers. I’m no longer the independent person I once was. I must have help doing what was the simplest of task, like cooking, using the bathroom, getting dressed, etc.
My days of fishing are all but over. I haven’t been in a boat or held a rod since my accident. I am lucky in that I still run a tournament trail, Georgia Nitro Owners Tournament Trail, which allows me to still be apart of the sport. Only now I sit on the doc as my partner and friends fish. Words cannot describe how much that sucks.
I’m not telling you this for sympathy. I’m telling you this because I am an example of how quickly your life can change. Don’t let that bucket list sit there, go do it. Don’t just go do it, take someone you care about with you. These experiences are better shared with someone you care about. So grab your son, your wife, or whomever it is you want to share the experience with and get on it. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed to any of us. So, my plea to you today is don’t let another day, week, or month go by without working on your list. It’s time to empty your bucket…..