Happy Friday!
I hope that you had a great week! I am back at the airport (after being home for less than 2 days from the last trip, so crazy), sitting in the airport lounge watching the planes take off the trucks go by and a couple of fire trucks on/near the runway preferably "just in case". The sun is shining and it looks like a good day to fly. One could almost image that I am celebrating today's National Day: National Bucket List Day. But it's a business trip (although still fun).
Why is it called a ''bucket list"? Well, because it's a list of things you want to do before you kick the bucket, a phrase that originated in the 16th century. One explanation is that animals on the farm were sometimes hung from a wooden beam or "bucket" and they literally kicked the bucket before they died. Over time, "kicking the bucket" became slang for death. And as we never know when that day will be, it's important to take your life's dreams and plans seriously. There are many quotations about it but they all but they all boil down to living each day as though it will be your last (and so far, it is).
National Bucket List Day was started in 2022 by Cindy Lee, a travel blogger and agent, to inspire people to take stock of their life and chase their dreams. I can't help but wonder whether experiencing the pandemic and realizing life's fragility contributed to it. Creating a bucket list helps to prioritize things that matter most in your life to live it to the fullest. It can contain big dreams or small ones. From reconnecting with a friend or relative, taking a course, writing a book, taking music lessons, learning new skills, visiting a local museum (which many people never do when they live in the same city), celebrating past achievements, expressing gratitude, improving an aspect of yourself that you are unhappy with, conquering a fear or traveling.
We all have good intentions and some of us have lofty goals: climb Mount Everest, run a marathon, go skydiving (this is a popular one online – not on my bucket list!), start a charity, win the Nobel prize, visit every continent, set up a foundation, try an alternate career. Today we can take stock of our lives and get past "I'll do it later, there's plenty of time". It's about not letting life pass you by while you are planning it.
How does one create a bucket list? First, make a list that you plan to come back to again. Choose things that excite you but are doable. Be specific. Mix big and small goals and rank them (big, medium, small). Keep it visible and update it regularly – our goals change over time.
Then pick one thing and act on it. Just one thing. Not too overwhelming. Book it, schedule it, research it, move it forward.
Talk about it. This reminds me of the commercial where the man tells everyone how "this is the year" he and his wife are going to renovate the kitchen. He tells his friends, his barber (they discuss wall paint colors)...and finally his financial planner who can help him make it happen. By talking about it, you may find someone that will go in cahoots with you to make it happen.
Revisit old dreams. The goal you had 10 years ago may still be exciting and worth pursuing.
Celebrate progress, not perfection. Baby steps are okay. You won't learn a new language or become proficient at playing an instrument in 3 weeks. It takes months of training to run a marathon. Just don't stop walking toward what you want. And don't despair if you get delayed at times.
The real trick is to move beyond listing. Anyone can make a list. You just don't want to get to the end and realize that you never checked off one thing on it.
I'm happy to say that I'm checking something off my bucket list in a month – visiting Florence, Italy. Those Happy Friday messages about Michelangelo didn't arise from a new goal, although admittedly I wrote them for his birth anniversary. This has been #1 on my travel bucket list for a long time (and thanks to the European Neuro-Ophthalmology Society for helping me make it a reality!).
Have a good weekend. Take stock. Make your list. Express gratitude. Enjoy life.
Finished and sent from 35,000 feet,
Deb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HTb6TV0ptI