We had to put our dog down this morning. His name is Duke and he was a Pembrook Welsh Corgi. He was an older dog that was rescued when he was about 5 years old. He was having many health issues, including seizures. As many of you can identify, we loved him very much! Here he is enjoying the Texas bluebonnets.

And now he's gone.

Life can be short, can't it? You never know what is in store for you, even though you may have other plans. Since we all know people (ourselves included) who end up at the end of their days wondering what went wrong and how come they never got to do the things they dreamed of as kids, or how did the time pass so quickly, or God, I hate this job and I don't know why I'm still doing it, or how did I get stuck with this spouse and these kids, or why am I still driving a damned Volkswagen, or….you get the point.

Are you living your dreams? Most of us are not. Many of us are in the autumn of our years, experiencing health issues and wondering where the time went. Most of us have given up on ever living our dreams! Most of us can't even dream anymore, period! Is that you? I know, you have responsibilities. You have families. You're doing what you do for your kids, right? So they can have the life you don't? Funny thing is, we're teaching them to do the exact same things we did – be responsible, go to school, get a GOOD JOB, get a REAL JOB, not something frivolous like acting, writing, painting, gardening, food, something weird like that. Oh, no, not for our kids! We want them to be lawyers, doctors, engineers. We want them to make the big bucks. We want them to turn out just like us, going for the almighty dollar to live a "comfortable"  life. What a load of crap!

You know, there's still time to do something. Maybe not live all your dreams or even any one of them, but at least you can learn to dream again. You can talk it over with your family about how life is about relationships and pursuing your passions. Make a Bucket List. Have your kids make a Bucket List. Post it on the refrigerator and check off each item when someone experiences it.

"Oh, that is silly," you say. Damn right it is. But that's what makes life the fun it's supposed to be. It's not supposed to be about the mind-numbing, plodding along, trying to make ends meet and criticizing everyone else kind of experience most of us have. What's that phrase? "Life sucks, and then you die." Gee, I wonder what the state of mind was of the guy who coined that phrase. I wonder what his life was like.

I don't want to live like that. I've seen that for most of my life and I want to change it before it's too late. I'm sure Duke didn't want to lay around in his own urine because he couldn't walk. He wanted to chase his tennis ball. He wanted to chase cats and squirrels. He wanted to eat 5 times a day. Scrambled eggs with cheese on them were his favorite. (we only gave him that maybe once a month, Maybe). We mostly fed him healthy foods like raw meat and vegetables. He particularly liked peas. We don't know why. I'm sure even Duke had dreams.

Don't wait 'til it's too late! Don't wait 'til some family member has to put you down! No, life is for living, not for surviving!

Get your Bucket List started today and you'll feel a change in your life! And don't worry about the ridicule you'll get from your spouse and kids. Eventually they will see that you are happier and more relaxed and then they'll be on board. If they don't, you can divorce them and move on (just kidding here). If none of this makes any sense to you, then just keep on keepin' on and criticize me. You won't hurt my feelings. If some of this does resonate with you, then think about making some changes.

Until you do, nothing will change.

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