What’s on your Reverse Bucket List?

With so much extra time on our hands, many people have been reflecting on their lives and making plans for things they want to accomplish now and/or when this is all over.

While that sounds great, I have been focusing more on things I never want to do again. I call it my Reverse Bucket List.

Here is my Reverse Bucket List. What’s yours?

Doing a Polar Plunge – I took part in one last year to help raise money for a great cause, and it was awful. I hate cold water and I really don’t even like swimming very much even when it is hot outside. Somehow, I ended up doing it again this year with a bigger group of people and it was once again terrible. I enjoyed raising money for a worthy cause and I had a fun time hanging out with my friends, but I hated the whole time in the water. I see no need to do that again.

Taking a math test – I still have those terrible dreams about taking tests in math and other subjects that I am not prepared for. I took many of these tests earlier in life, and I never want to take one again.

Leg lifts – There is no exercise that I hate more than leg lifts. It started when I played fifth grade football. We all hated lying on the ground while the coaches yelled at us to keep our legs up. That continued ever year I played football. I tried them a few years ago thinking they would be good for me to strengthen my core and build up my stomach muscles, but all they did were hurt my legs, hurt my stomach and make me worried that my former football coaches would yell at me for not having my legs straight enough.

Getting yelled at by youth sports coaches – I had several great coaches that I admired greatly and still think fondly of today, but a few of them just yelled all of the time. It was pointless and stupid. I have no desire to go through any of that again.

Riding an amusement park ride that spins – How did I like this when I was younger? I hate spinning now. I feel a little sick just walking down a few flights of stairs that involve lots of turning. The last time I went on a roller coaster that spun just a little I vowed it would be my last.

Attending a zoning board of appeals meeting – When I worked as a newspaper reporter, I attended many of these meetings. Zoning codes are very important but are also very boring.

Getting braces on my teeth – I am glad I had them, but I would never want them again. Back in the 1980s, braces made it hard to eat certain foods, they could be painful and they sometimes included rubber bands and several terrible items that attached to the braces.

Going back to school – I had a fine childhood, but I often was not very comfortable with myself back when I was in school. I constantly over-thought things, I had no confidence, I said the wrong things and I tended to get in my own way. I would like to see my friends from back then, but I would not want to go back to school and once again worry about grades, fitting in and math tests.

Moving a piano – I have done this several times now, a few times up and down stairs. While I appreciated the opportunity to make terrible jokes about carrying a tune, not forgetting our keys or wondering how heavy a full grown grand would be, I would prefer to not move a piano again.

Watching my favorite basketball player throw a terrible inbounds pass that Larry Bird steals at the end of a crucial NBA Playoffs game, giving away a game that my team was about to win – It was crushing. I hate seeing that highlight pop up on social media, and I hope to never see a play like that again.

Eating meatloaf – I refuse to eat meatloaf ever again. Good for you if you like it, but I don’t even want to be in the same room with meatloaf.

Driving for 18 hours in one day – The long car trips I took earlier were worth it, but I don’t want to do that again.

Living with dial-up internet – How did I survive?

Jumping over a yellow jackets nest in the ground – One day at elementary school, there were several yellow jackets in the ground near one of the slides. Other kids were jumping over them and it looked pretty cool. When I attempted the jump, however, it did not work out very well. I got stung a few times, had to visit the school nurse (in the cafeteria for some reason) and decided I would never do that again. Looking back at it now, the only good thing about jumping over those yellow jackets was that it got me out of a math test that day.

What’s on your Reverse Bucket List? Feel free to comment below. Thanks!