Movies with a focus on topics the audience can relate to in some way often do well at the box office – or in today’s world, on television. Perhaps this has to do with comfort knowing we are not alone in sorting out life’s challenges, struggles or calamities.

One such movie is “The Bucket List” (2007). The plot includes two aging fellows (Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson) who learn from the doctor that their time is running out. Together they write down things they wish to do before their final curtain call. They visit the Taj Mahal, skydive, take an African safari and ride motorcycles on the Great Wall of China, among other things.

Riding a golf cart years ago, a land developer near a course we played utilized an abbreviated version of Burma Shave advertising. Rather than five signs attached to fence posts, only two signs had been placed in the ground, each next to the cart path. They read, “Don’t wait to buy real estate” followed by, “Buy real estate and wait.” There may be similar ‘don’t wait wisdom’ when it comes to addressing bucket lists.

My parents lived 49 years in the 840 sq. ft. house my sister and I grew up in, which Dad and his father built in 1948. Dad and Mom moved during March 1997 to a condominium with generous space and much less need for upkeep or repair. Dad was age 77 then. He died just six months later. I’ve long wondered if he waited too long before addressing his Bucket List.

Until more recently, I’ve also thought as my father did, that Father Time was an old guy without much relevance. For decades, life has consisted of simply setting one foot in front of the other each day, always trudging forward during work or leisure time with the unrealistic expectation that life goes on forever. Now, Father Time stares back at me every morning in the bathroom mirror. Forever feels a good bit closer now. Physical ability and time available for scratching items off my bucket list is more limited these days.

This Thanksgiving week, we might all be wise to invest time reflecting on our bucket lists for any possible updates or adjustments. According to the rules, it is acceptable (and potentially gratifying) to add items, then simultaneously scratch them off when we recognize after the fact they should have been included. A good example of this sort of thing was touched on in the movie. Nicholson reconciled with his estranged daughter, who then introduced him to the granddaughter he never knew he had. Before saying goodbye, he kissed his young granddaughter on the cheek, then subsequently crossed “kiss the most beautiful girl in the world” off his list.

Growing up in a family that seldom discusses positive feelings for each other can be challenging. We don’t always learn the right way to tell someone we care about them. I shared a story after Dad died with his sister, written about the old family car he spent ten years restoring before giving it to me. I called her one evening to ask if her Father ever hugged her, told her he was proud of her or that he loved her. She answered only indirectly. “Oh, your grandfather was busy taking care of the family.” It became clear where Dad learned to express his caring – and that he need not speak about it.

Although there can be truth to this, perhaps this Thanksgiving we might all do well to reflect on the “Don’t wait to show I care” topic before our curtain call comes. Find a way to scratch off “express my love and appreciation for those I care about” by offering thanks for time spent with family – whether on the phone, with a hug, handshake, peck on the cheek, or in other ways. It’s important. It’s not too late for an update to your bucket list.