A large white boat with a blue roof lays on it's side in the grass. A red arrow points to the spot where Kari was almost crushed to death beneath the boat when the trailer became disconnected from the vehicle pulling it and left the road!
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Life can change in an instant. I know, because one day in Costa Rica, I came within inches of having my entire future changed by a runaway boat. It was a terrifying reminder that all the things we plan to do “someday” aren’t guaranteed to happen.

How many times have you told yourself you’ll finally take that Bucket List trip once you retire, get that promotion, celebrate a milestone birthday, or have fewer responsibilities? There’s always something else that seems more important right now.

Bill and I learned that waiting for the perfect time could mean waiting too long. And while our experience eventually led us to take a year off to travel the world, I’m certainly not suggesting everyone needs to do that! I just want to encourage you to stop putting off the experiences that matter to you.

The Day Everything Almost Changed in Costa Rica

It was January 2023, and Bill and I were on vacation in Costa Rica. We’d spent the morning on a whale- and dolphin-watching excursion from Uvita, exploring the beautiful tropical coastline of Marino Ballena National Park.

After the tour, we were walking along the road back to the tour company’s office to pick up our rental car. I was about 30 feet ahead of Bill.

The boat we’d just been riding in was being towed back to the office on a trailer. This was a huge, heavy boat that had carried about 30 passengers and crew just minutes earlier.

Suddenly, the trailer came unhitched from the vehicle towing it. And that enormous boat was veering straight toward me!

I scrambled down into the roadside ditch, trying desperately to get out of its path. But I ran straight into a barbed-wire fence. I was trapped.

I knew that enormous boat was coming toward me, and all I could think was, “Oh crap! It’s going to crush my legs into a million pieces!”

In those few seconds, I imagined the possibility of surviving with devastating injuries that would leave me unable to walk again. The thought was absolutely terrifying.

And then, incredibly, the boat stopped. It had landed on a concrete fence post, which stopped its momentum just inches above my legs. Thank God that fence post was exactly where it was!

Meanwhile, Bill was running down the road, screaming, “Get the boat off her!”

People came running to help. One man pulled the strands of barbed wire apart so I could crawl forward into the grass, away from the boat in case the concrete post collapsed.

I was shaken, scratched, and bruised, but I could walk. My legs weren’t crushed. I was alive.

I had bruising on my arm, an injured big toe, and some deep scratches from the barbed wire. Considering what could have happened, those were incredibly minor injuries.

I still look at the photographs of that enormous boat resting against the fence and wonder how I managed to escape with so little damage.

Two inches. A concrete fence post. That’s what stood between me and a completely different future. Life can change in an instant, right?

A large white boat with a blue roof lays on it's side in the grass. A red arrow points to the spot where Kari was almost crushed to death beneath the boat when the trailer became disconnected from the vehicle pulling it and left the road!
Red arrow indicates where I was. The concrete post is right next to me in the grass.
A long blue-and-white tour boat rests at an angle in tall grass beside a narrow road, with several people gathered nearby and concrete fence posts in the foreground. The photograph helps readers understand the position of the runaway boat and the fence that prevented Kari from escaping.
From the other side
A long red scratch runs across a woman's forearm, with smaller abrasions and redness visible around it. The photograph shows one of the injuries Kari suffered while scrambling away from the runaway boat.
A detached, rusted metal trailer hitch lies on a rough concrete surface, with its tow ball and mounting hardware visible. This close-up shows the equipment involved in the frightening accident in Costa Rica.

The Future We Assume We’ll Have

That experience reinforced something I’d already been thinking about for years.

I’d watched many of my parents’ friends work hard their entire lives, saving and planning for retirement. They’d finally retire at 63 or 65, ready to enjoy everything they’d been looking forward to.

And then, six months later, someone would receive a cancer diagnosis. Or have a heart attack. Life can change in an instant.

Suddenly, all those wonderful retirement plans didn’t look quite the same.

My friend’s husband was only 58 when he left for work one morning, just like any other day. He suffered a heart attack on the job and never came home. I’m sure my friend never imagined that morning would be the last time she’d see him. Life can change in an instant.

We all know these things happen. But somehow, we tend to believe we’ll have plenty of time.

We’ll take that dream trip after retirement. After the kids finish college. After we get the house remodeled. After the next promotion. Maybe for our 50th or 60th or 70th birthday.

And there’s always another project, another expense, or another reason to wait.

I’m not suggesting we should ignore our responsibilities or spend money we don’t have. But I do think we need to ask ourselves an important question:

What if that perfect time never comes?

Life can change in an instant. Sometimes there’s no warning, no opportunity to rearrange our priorities, and no guarantee that we’ll be healthy enough to enjoy the things we’ve been saving for later.

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Why Bill and I Stopped Waiting

Bill and I have always loved traveling together. During our first five years together, we took more than 25 trips around the United States and Canada. We were already finding ways to travel whenever we could.

But we had a much bigger Bucket List. We wanted to explore places around the world, spend more time experiencing different cultures, and visit destinations we’d been dreaming about for years. Tough to do when you only get 2-3 weeks of vacation from your job.

After my close call with that runaway boat in Costa Rica, the thought of continuing to postpone those dreams seemed even less appealing.

So we took a deep breath and made a big decision. I quit my corporate job in late 2023 so Bill and I could take a year off and travel the world, checking off as many Bucket List experiences as possible.

We spent weeks and months exploring destinations across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and Africa. What an incredible experience!

We didn’t get to everything on our list. In fact, the more we travel, the more places we discover that we’d love to visit.

But we stopped waiting for some future milestone to give ourselves permission to go.

And even now, we travel for four-to-six months of the year, exploring new places and adding new experiences to our Bucket List.

If you’re curious about where we’ve been and what we’re still dreaming about, take a look at Kari & Bill’s Travel Bucket List: Where We’ve Been & What’s Next.

You Don’t Have to Change Your Whole Life to Start Living It

Now, before you think I’m suggesting that everyone should quit their job and take off around the world for a year, let me assure you—that’s not my point!

I know most people can’t, or simply don’t want to, do what Bill and I did.

And you don’t need to.

Maybe you’ve always dreamed of spending two weeks exploring Alaska. Or wandering through the villages of Tuscany. Or visiting the temples of Thailand. Or finally making that trip to Australia.

What’s stopping you from starting to make that happen?

You don’t have to check off your entire Bucket List in one year. You don’t even have to take a particularly expensive or complicated trip.

Choose one experience that really matters to you.

Start researching what it would take to make it happen. Figure out how much you’ll need to save, how much time you can take off, and when you could realistically go.

Then put a date on the calendar.

Maybe you take that trip next year. And the following year, you choose another destination. And another one after that.

Before you know it, those experiences you’ve been talking about for years will become wonderful memories instead of “someday” dreams.

If you’re not sure how to turn your travel dreams into actual plans, I’ve put together Bucket List Travel: 7 Steps to Finally Make It Happen to help you get started.

You don’t need to have everything figured out today. You just need to stop automatically putting your travel dreams at the bottom of the priority list.

Don’t Wait for “Someday”

I’ll never forget scrambling into that ditch in Costa Rica, desperately trying to escape the runaway boat.

Or the terrifying realization that the barbed-wire fence had trapped me, with nowhere else to go.

I’m incredibly grateful that the concrete fence post stopped it. And I’m grateful that I walked away with nothing more serious than bruises and scratches.

That day could have changed my life in an instant.

Instead, it helped change how I wanted to live it.

We can’t control everything that happens to us. We can’t guarantee good health, a long retirement, or even what tomorrow will bring.

But we can make choices about what we prioritize today.

If you’ve been postponing a Bucket List experience because other projects always seem more important, maybe it’s time to reconsider.

You don’t have to do everything. You don’t have to go everywhere.

But please, don’t wait forever to do something you’ve always dreamed of doing. Life is short, and there are so many wonderful places to see and experiences to enjoy.

What’s one Bucket List experience you’re finally ready to stop putting off?

More Bucket List Resources

Here are some more posts to help you create your Bucket List, overcome the barriers holding you back, and finally start achieving your dreams!

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