5. Are there any experiences on your bucket list? Can we do them together?

The generations should think carefully before asking each other about doing bucket list activities together. I recently heard some of Warrior Queen’s, and they all noisy and/or strenuous. In turn I shared some of mine with her and she wasn’t keen on hearing ‘all of Verdi’s operas” let alone one of them.* A shared bucket list item such as ‘going to Aruba” is OK provided the oldsters can wave the youngsters goodbye from their lounge chairs (drinks in hand) while thems with good knees go running off to jet ski or whatever they do nowadays on holiday.

Probably more interesting is to tell them of the grand adventures and follies you had when you were that age. This often leads to puzzlement and disbelief as young ones often find it out hard to imagine you as anything but your old boring self and not as once upon a time a young, daring, and impetuous person (like my men). Mercifully there was no internet or social media while I was growing up to record for eternity all my disgraceful doings. True, there are a few photos but happily not many and the owners have been paid to keep their mouths shut.

Another nice thing about no written records or survivors from my childhood is when telling about that time you and your buddy went on a whim to Austria without thinking or when you rolled down a grass hill into the muck you can allow yourself one or two small evocations. One can be a General McBrag about the whole sordid matter or completely expunge the tale if the audience is of a faint heart.

Alas, Babylon! I have no grandchildren with whom to share a bucket list item. My siblings wisely didn’t hand off the niblings to me when they needed a break lest Auntie Mame-like I gave them back long after the agreed upon return date. I would be happy to take Princess Goddess and Warrior Queen to Paris provided I get to see the museums while they attend the Paris nightlife. We would keep separate hotel rooms of course lest there are hommes jolies gentleman callers for either party and no none of us would post on the internet merci beucoup Let them grow up and tell their own niblings of fun times past.

*Worse, she didn’t know who Verdi was. Oh the pain.