Ethan's Bucket List - another glimpse behind the veil

In January Ethan came home with an assignment from school - a bucket list. In class he had been asked to write down the fifty things he wanted to accomplish in life. So he did. Here is what he wants to accomplish in life.

1. Go to Disneyland
2. Go to Disney World
3. Go to Downtown Disney
4. Go to Disney World Resort
5. Go to Universal Studios
6. Go to Universal Orlando Resort
7. Go to Universal Orlando
8. Go to Legoland
9. Be on my own
10. Travel to 10 different places
11. Go on an airplane again
12. Have one million dollars
13. Buying something
14. Buying toys
15. Buying dolls
16. Buying movies
17. Watch movies
18. Go to stores
19. Go shopping
20. Go to restaurants
21. Meet the Disney Characters
22. Meet the Universal Studio Characters
23. Go to Nickelodeon
24. Meet the Nickelodeon characters
25. Go to Warner Bros, and meet the WBC
26. Go home
27. Meet Spongebob Squarepants
28. Meet Buzz Lightyear
29. Meet the Disney Princesses
30. Meet Snow White
31. Meet Cinderella
32. Meet Aurora
33. Meet Pocahontas
34. Meet Belle
35. Meet Mulan
36. Meet Rapunzel
37. Meet Anna
38. Meet Ariel
39. Meet Tiana
40. Meet Merida
41. Meet Jasmine
42. Watch Mr. Peabody and Sherman
43. Go to Harkins Theaters
44. Meet all the characters from Toy Story
45. Meet all the Looney Tunes characters from W.B. 
46. Meet all the Toy Story toys, and A.F. collection.
47. Meet Michael Jordan
48. Meet all the athletes movie stars
49. Play basketball with Michael Jordan
50. Meet Babe Ruth

Some of these are quite interesting, such as #9 and #26. Then there was #50. When he and I discussed the list I asked him if he knew Babe Ruth was dead. That fact didn't seem to bother him, so he matter-of-factly pointed out that he wanted to meet Babe Ruth.

Okay, no problem, I thought. No need to burst a bubble. I didn't even approach the whole imaginary characters discussion. In our world Imagination and Reality coexists, and are often so well blended that it is hard to see where one ends and the other begins.

Several days later he approached me and asked me for his list. I gave it to him and he quickly put it back in his backpack. 

He then replied, "Dad, I can't meet Babe Ruth. He's dead."

    "Oh, who will you meet instead?"

"All the Toy Story characters."

    "Perfect," I thought.

"Dad, what is languish?"

    "Languish? Where did you hear that?"

"Dad, languish means die, I don't want to languish. I don't want to die."

    "Where did you hear the word languish?"

"Charlotte's Web."

Then I remembered, Charlotte, the spider (in case you don't know the story) told Wilbur that she was languishing right before she died.

Just as quickly as that conversation came to life, the subject changed and Ethan proudly announced he was going to dream, "about the Disney Princesses."

"You do that," I smiled, "Have fun!"

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Today, while going through his backpack, I found the Bucket List. When I glanced over it I saw that there were three changes made.

10. Travel to 10  11 different places

Not sure what those ten places are, but there must be another one that is impressive enough to have him add it on.

On number 42 he had placed a giant checkmark. Task completed! He saw that movie with Grandma last month.

Then I came to the end. 

It was priceless. 

It simply read,

50. Meet Babe Ruth Julia Winter.

Hmmm?

  VS.

Sorry Great Bambino, even if you do have a candy bar named after you. Girl's are far cuter than old baseball players!

#autism #myownlittlerainman #specialneeds