The Bucket List
The Bucket List by Teri M Brown won 2nd place is the Carolina Woman's 2025 Writing Contest. I'm very proud of this piece, though I must warn you - it is about grief and missing the man I love most in the world. 
If you could put anything on your bucket list, what would it be? Something classic? Like Paris,
Rome, or Athens? Something adventurous? Like hiking the Appalachian Trail, skydiving, or
scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef? Something exotic? Like Antarctica, Arashiyama Bamboo
Forest, or Easter Island?
You might be surprised to discover that my list is nothing like yours. It’s far more common, run-
of-the-mill – some might even say mundane. But I’d gladly trade a cruise to an island paradise
for more everyday life.
-Eating breakfast together, asking you if you’d rather have Honey Nut Cheerios or Raisin Bran
Crunch.
-Looking over the bills that came in the day’s mail.
-Deciding if we should shop around for car insurance.
-Looking at paint samples for the bedroom wall.
-Hopping in the car to pick up a great find on Facebook Marketplace.
-Watching an episode of some war movie with the sound up far too loud.
-A tandem bicycle ride.
-A walk on the beach.
-Sharing tater tots at dinner.
-Sneaking a sip of your diet Pepsi.
-A hug.
-A kiss.
-A simple ‘I love you.’
The Hospice newsletter, Compassionate Journey, arrived not long after cancer took him from
me. Amid all the articles on grief was a suggestion to write to this prompt: It has been such a
short time since I lost you, yet it seems like far longer. What I already miss the most right now
is…
I threw the newsletter across the room and cried because the answer is everything. The smell of his soap after he showered. His loud Hawaiian shirts that never matched his choice of ballcap. His energizer bunny on steroids drive. His amazing ability to find a pun in anything. His dimples that popped out whenever he smiled. His complete belief in me. Knowing he was there for me when I succeeded, but more importantly, when I failed.
My bucket list is filled with simple, inexpensive, routine dreams that will never come to pass
because cancer is a thief. One that comes in the night and steals what is most precious. Most
valuable. Most dear. And yes, most ordinary.
So, I ask again. What is on your bucket list?
If you could put anything on your bucket list, what would it be? Something classic? Like Paris,Rome, or Athens? Something adventurous? Like hiking the Appalachian Trail, skydiving, or
scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef? Something exotic? Like Antarctica, Arashiyama Bamboo
Forest, or Easter Island?
You might be surprised to discover that my list is nothing like yours. It’s far more common, run-
of-the-mill – some might even say mundane. But I’d gladly trade a cruise to an island paradise
for more everyday life.
-Eating breakfast together, asking you if you’d rather have Honey Nut Cheerios or Raisin Bran
Crunch.
-Looking over the bills that came in the day’s mail.
-Deciding if we should shop around for car insurance.
-Looking at paint samples for the bedroom wall.
-Hopping in the car to pick up a great find on Facebook Marketplace.
-Watching an episode of some war movie with the sound up far too loud.
-A tandem bicycle ride.
-A walk on the beach.
-Sharing tater tots at dinner.
-Sneaking a sip of your diet Pepsi.
-A hug.
-A kiss.
-A simple ‘I love you.’
The Hospice newsletter, Compassionate Journey, arrived not long after cancer took him from
me. Amid all the articles on grief was a suggestion to write to this prompt: It has been such a
short time since I lost you, yet it seems like far longer. What I already miss the most right now
is…
I threw the newsletter across the room and cried because the answer is everything. The smell of his soap after he showered. His loud Hawaiian shirts that never matched his choice of ballcap. His energizer bunny on steroids drive. His amazing ability to find a pun in anything. His dimples that popped out whenever he smiled. His complete belief in me. Knowing he was there for me when I succeeded, but more importantly, when I failed.
My bucket list is filled with simple, inexpensive, routine dreams that will never come to pass
because cancer is a thief. One that comes in the night and steals what is most precious. Most
valuable. Most dear. And yes, most ordinary.
So, I ask again. What is on your bucket list?
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