Bucket lists are meant to include those lofty experiences we want but most likely will never attain — or so I thought. I never visualized a bucket list as a real thing, a container for stuff I might really want to do someday.
Silly or serious?
Can a bucket list include silly and simple aspirations, like learning how to juggle as a sexagenarian or perfecting the homemade apple pie?
I believe the main purpose of a bucket list is to establish and accomplish goals — big ones and smaller, perhaps even daily, ones. Some elders I’ve spoken with have expressed the sentiment that bucket lists keep them more alive, vibrantly striving to meet or exceed their accomplishment desires.
Some seniors make up new bucket lists frequently (sometimes even daily!) of smaller, less serious achievements that add to the bounce in their steps as they tap dance through their days and weeks. With an eye on the prize, these individuals express more focus on experiences that enhance their days.
It’s personal.
Bucket lists are generally created solely for activities that bring about a heartfelt passion that resonates with the list-maker alone, though the action items or activity may include being with others. We’re not willing to wait around for these things to happen but must instead create the moments to insure the desired activities occur, and that’s on us and no one else.
A goal is just a wish until it’s written down, which is another reason for having a written bucket list. But this list is not stagnant. It’s meant to be reviewed and enhanced over time.
It’s my belief that these lists help create purpose and satisfaction in our lives.
So, after some consideration, here are a few things to accomplish before I kick the bucket:
~ see Hamilton in NYC
~ make a turkey dinner with all the trimmings
~ learn to play bridge
~ read Anna Karenina
~ pen lyrics to Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik”
~ endow support for the less fortunate kitties in my community
~ solve a Rubik’s Cube without help (and without giving up halfway)
My list looks meager, but it’s pretty good since it’s only about forty-eight hours old. I bet over time I can add gobs of big and little things I’d like to experience.
What about you? Do you have a bucket list and, if so, what is on it?
I don’t do bucket lists. and I don’t make resolutions either. I just do daily the things I need to for myself. I work on changing my behavior when I see something that isn’t good. When there is something driving me, I do it by working on it. I don’t do lists, I just live day to day.
Thanks, Norma. I appreciate knowing what works for you.