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Thank you for visiting, I hope you will find this blog of my journey both interesting and inspiring.

Monday 30 July 2012

Our Bucket List


You will be familiar with the concept of a bucket list; a list of things you intend to do before you 'kick the bucket'. After a deep reflective moment where I was feeling as if I had no purpose, no where to aim for, thinking there is only so much for just being when I have a strong natural urge to grow and develop that I found myself wallowing in a sense of worthlessness. This would never do, so I set myself a task; to create a bucket list. One hundred things to do before I die or alternatively with any luck have to write another one.

So my husband and I spend a couple of hours putting together a list which is destined to printed up but is currently written in brightly coloured felt pens and blue tac'd to the wall. The tasks range from small things; things that are easily achievable but that we have simply never done. For example watch "Gone with the Wind" - I have plenty of time these days so why not? and then of course there are more extravagant tasks such as sky diving, driving route 66 and breeding puppies.

Writing it might seem to be aiming too high, over stretching myself but I can't look at it that way. Nearly everyone looks at life and sees the limitations not the possibilities, when talking to people and trying to encourage them to step forward we often meet a huge amount of resistance to change. In general we hear excuses. I don't have time. I don't have the money. I'd like to but with work and the kids... I am not saying that it always easy to do some of these things, if it were it wouldn't be much of challenge. I personally have to fight fatigue, migraines, a tough inflexible hospital and drug regimen and I too have little money because I don't work. However these things are not impenetrable they require some planning and determination to overcome; something that is a hell of a lot easier when you stop making excuses and start looking for solutions!

So my challenge has been set and I look to start counting down the one hundred and ticking them off.


Just before I sign off I will mention just one more; the last task on the list (although they don't have to be completed in any order) is to create a reverse bucket list. As I was trawling the internet for ideas to add to list I realised quite how much I have done in my life already. This surprised me as I have a tendency to think that I haven't done much, or a least not as much as I could have and in darker moments punish myself for not embracing the opportunities I have had. However on other peoples lists I found so many things I have done; I have travelled to Costa Rica, been white water rafting, held a python, seen a ballet, climbed a mountain, visited Notre Dame, been swimming with dolphins, snorkelled in the sea with wild turtles, created a garden, owned a dog.... and that is just the start of it. My conclusion once again is perception is everything and my perception is that my life will be packed with all kinds of experiences, challenges and when I do die next year or in fifty years time I will know I lived a life worth living!

2 comments:

  1. I love this, I have a list of goals which I guess is the same kind of thing. I've always written them and always managed to do most of them. There is so many things we can do with our lives, some easier than others but if you don't have dreams life would be so dull! Look forward to hearing about them all as you do them, oh and helping you write the next 100!
    p.s. I've just ordered you a copy of Gone With The Wind, so get ready to tick that one off ;-)
    Kaori xx

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  2. Thank you Kaori, our are very very kind! vcx

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