Our baby boy turns 21 on Sunday.
It hardly seems like 21 years since God blessed us with this tiny thing.
And when we say tiny, we mean tiny.
Owen was born 11½ weeks early on September 19th 1989 at 14:12 weighing just 2lbs 12oz (1.24kg) and dire predictions from the attendant paediatrician was that he wouldn’t survive the day. By the way, did you spot the link between time of birth and his weight?
Owen certainly isn’t the smallest or lightest or earliest baby to ever survive but 21yrs ago the medical staff were astounded that he did. When he was born (in the now demolished East Glamorgan Hospital) he was one of four babies born that weekend that were all 28 weeks (or thereabouts) gestation. Owen was the one that fought through and won his battle for life – the other 3 lost their fights one by one. We all grieved in some way for each loss but our hearts still go out to those that didn’t pull through and we remain constantly thankful to our God for the miracle that is Owen.
Owen, the world is quite literally your oyster and with your skills, talents and abilities you can do anything you want – we love you and have from the second you were conceived. Go get ‘em.
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What’s a bucket list?
Simply put it is a wish list of all the goals you want to achieve, dreams you want to fulfill and life-experiences you desire to experience before you die. The term is inspired by the movie “The Bucket List” (2007) about two terminally ill men (Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) who set off to achieve a list of things they want to do before they die.
Anyway, a few years ago I came across a website called My50.com and they provide a standard list of 50 items that could be on people’s bucket lists – the first list below are the 42 items from that list that I have already achieved:
- Watch the sun set and rise in one day (or night)
- Watch a cinema classic
- Visit Paris
- Visit a museum
- Tell someone you love them
- Take photos of your family and friends
- Take a walk in the rain
- Take a last minute city break
- Surprise someone
- Sleep under the stars
- Serenade someone
- See what’s happening in your community
- See the northern lights
- Sample foreign food
- Ride a rollercoaster
- Read a classic novel
- See the dawning of a new century
- Quit your job
- Phone in work sick and relax
- Pass on a nugget of knowledge
- Learn to swim
- Learn something new
- Know your neighbours
- Have a fun bet
- Have a food fight
- Have a favourite joke
- Grow something
- Go to the theatre
- Go to a sporting event
- Go to a concert
- Go outside and lie on the grass
- Go naked
- Give to charity
- Get tipsy with good company
- Find an old school friend
- Do a parachute jump
- Cook something
- Climb a mountain
- Become a parent
And of the remaining 8 I removed 3 as being something I don’t want to do which leaves 5:
- Christmas in New York
- Drive a McLaren F1
- Go horse riding
- Go scuba diving
- Visit Machu Pichu
What about you?
Have you got a bucket list?
Why not join me in creating one? I’m planning to create a more specific / personal one in the days and weeks to come and will also document it here.
Just a quick one – will try to remember to post a picture later …
Anyway, last Saturday the children and I attained our 7th Gup in Tang Soo Do. In terms of belt colours we are still Orange belt but now it has a green stripe on it.The big boss (Master Trudgill) tried to put a downer on everyone though by telling us all that only 1, maybe 2 in every 100 that starts Tang Soo Do will give it up before they attain their black belt. Not the best way to promote the art I guess – but it isn’t stopping us
Unfortunately towards the end of the grading my right knee tried to stop me by, so I’m now told, over-extending and causing me great pain. The physio tells me today that it isn’t that severe but a few weeks rest won’t go amiss.
Tang Soo.
[Later]
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