Three Rules...and much more

Tonight my wife and I joined some friends and went to see The Bucket List at a nearby theatre.

For those of you who haven't seen the film, it's the story of two men who share a hospital room after finding out they have terminal cancer. Morgan Freeman plays a mechanic who is wise beyond his years (and who dreamed of being of professor) while Jack Nicholson is a callous billionaire business owner who, in fact, owns the hospital in which the men meet for the first time.

In his hospital bed, Freeman one day starts to write his Bucket List - a list of dreams he should fulfill before he kicks the bucket. Nicholson sees the list, adds a few of his own ideas (like skydiving and car racing) and since he has enough money for his own jet, takes Freeman off with him around the world to live life to the fullest.

The movie is not for everyone - I think you have to be 40+ to truly appreciate it. But as a guy who just hit the half-century mark it had many messages for me. Mainly, it reinforced something I've been giving a lot of thought lately - to live life and enjoy it while you can, health-wise.

That's part of the reason why we went on a European vacation in '06 and last year went for our first-ever cruise. In a few weeks we're going whale watching and in '09 we will leave on our first winter vacation to a tropical destination.

A friend of mine lost her husband (way too early) recently and regrets waiting too long to do all the things they wanted to do together, like travel. As a middle-aged guy with arthritis in both knees, I intend to do things as long as I can (and I can afford them).

Sorry if this entry is a bit of a downer. Perhaps I'll lighten things up with Jack Nicholson's Three Rules of Growing Old from the movie:

1. Never skip a bathroom
2. Never waste a hard-on
3. Never trust a fart.

Cheers,