By: Marcia Love

I've finally been given the opportunity to play the role of a tour guide.
For the next three days, a friend of mine from out east is taking in the full western experience right here in Maple Creek. It's pretty exciting for her, considering she's never set foot outside of southwestern Ontario before.
As we planned out her trip over the phone last week, Melissa eagerly explained to me all the things she hopes to check off her list of life accomplishments during the adventure. This includes a visit to Cypress Hills and seeing a beautiful Saskatchewan sunset.
She has also made it her mission to meet a genuine cowboy. I assured Melissa she was coming to the right place. Although she comes from a farming community called Holstein, true cowboys are difficult to come by. Go figure.
I like to think spending time with me ranks pretty high on her westward journey, too.
Through all of Melissa's enthusiasm about her new adventure, I was reminded of my own bucket list I had drawn up as a teenager.
Most of you probably know what I'm talking about when I say “Bucket List.” It's the list of things one wants to achieve before kicking the bucket. But before the movie starring Jack Nicholson inspired the movement, I simply called my list “Things to Do Before I Die.” It was an ever-growing record of goals and experiences I hoped to slowly accomplish over my lifetime.
I had quickly written it up one day after being motivated by an article I had read in a teen magazine on 100 things to do in the next 100 years.
As time went on, I had just as quickly forgotten about my list. But after some thorough digging through a box of old school work, I found it.
Reading over the point-form notes I had written close to ten years ago, I wasn't surprised to see that many of my goals in life had changed.
However, I was amazed to notice two of the top objectives on my list had been accomplished when I moved to Maple Creek.
At 14, my main priority in life was to “find my dream job as a reporter at a newspaper.” If that wasn't exciting enough, a few points down from that I had written “move across the country.”
Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
Thinking back to the time when I had made the list, I never would have believed I could do either of those in my lifetime. But I was very proud to know I had somehow found the courage to follow through with my plans.
I grabbed a pen and placed a checkmark next to both goals and skimmed over the remaining few unchecked boxes on the paper.
Apparently I have yet to meet Jon Bon Jovi, travel to Japan and go swimming in the Pacific Ocean, but right now it looks like I'm on a roll. I say give it time.
Whether it's mentally engraved in our minds or physically written on paper, I'm sure all of us have our own version of a bucket list. Thinking of things we would like to experience is great, but the satisfaction of being able to check something off that list is even greater.
As for my friend's western experience, I have yet to inform Melissa she hasn't truly experienced prairie life until she has killed at least five gophers and knows how to say Saskatchewan without over pronouncing it. We have three days to work on that.
If any cowboys out there are willing to make Melissa's acquaintance and help her kick that off her bucket list, give me a call.