I wished one of my colleagues a good day as he headed out into treacherous weather and road conditions and he told me not to worry that ” I can’t die today; I bought green bananas.” And with a wink he headed out the door. 

The green bananas reference is from a country western song by Jake Owens rife with fatalism.

“This old boat, kept us afloat
All those years on the lake
I remember that day, I heard my best friend say
This is probably the last trip I’ll make
Cause the doctors are sayin’
It ain’t lookin’ good
And they doubt that I’ll make it to spring
And it’s a hell of a note
When you never know
What tomorrow might bring

So I don’t buy green bananas
I don’t play the lottery
Right nows all I’ve got goin’
Yeah And that’s just fine for me
And I don’t own an umbrella
If it rains I’m gonna get wet
So I don’t buy green bananas
Cause’ I don’t plan that far ahead

It ain’t the same on these hot summer days
When I’m out here fishin’ alone
Well sometimes I might get a few bites
But then there’s days that I don’t
So I just roll with the flow
That I rock with the waves
Catch me some rays from the sun
Yeah and like my friends said
I’m gonna live while I can
And take each day as it comes

So I don’t buy green bananas
I don’t play the lottery
Right nows all I’ve got goin’
And that’s just fine for me
And I don’t own an umbrella
If it rains I’m gonna get wet
And I don’t buy green bananas
Cause’ I don’t plan that far ahead

I don’t own an umbrella
If it rains I’m gonna get wet
And I don’t buy green bananas
Cause’ I don’t plan that far ahead”

© Universal Music Publishing Group

This whole retirement age thing is just so confusing.  65 is the new 45! Seniors are living longer than ever before! Baby boomers will suck the life out of our resources as they age! Headlines point to us in this category as either being the lucky generation, or a fungus growing slowly on the tree trunk of society. Not much in between. 

I love the optimism Ray showed with his sense of humour as much as I dislike the bucket list concept others talk about.   The bucket list has a purpose,  and that purpose is to march to the end through a list of “to do” things.

I don’t want to march to the end through a list with the pressure and anxiety of making sure I get it all done.   I want to buy green bananas with the optimism Ray showed me that day and I want to do things for the sheer joy of doing them in time, not to cross things off a list  slowly sloping down to the end.

Heading out to buy some green bananas right now!