The weather outside is still chilly in most areas. Some of us are even knee deep or higher in snow. Although we do have to leave the house to go to work, school, or stock up on groceries, for the most part we want to just stay inside where it’s warm.
Still, being cooped up inside tends to cause a bout of cabin fever. We have cleaned the house from top to bottom, been creative, read several books, and are now looking for something different to do.
If that’s the case, then grab your notebook, a pen, and stock up on hot chocolate. This would be the perfect time to create a Seasonal Bucket List.
The term ‘Bucket List’ was created by Justin Zackham and used in his screenplay ‘The Bucket List’. It started out as ‘Justin’s List of Things To Do Before He Kicks the Bucket’, and then was shortened to simply Justin’s Bucket List. The phrase ‘Kicking the Bucket’ goes back to the 18th century, and simply means to die.
A Bucket List isn’t a schedule or agenda exactly, but rather a list of accomplishments and experiences you want to have before you…well…kick the bucket. But it obviously does have, and please forgive the pun, a deadline.
A Seasonal Bucket List is basically the same thing but it’s categorized by the optimal season to complete the items on the list.
To get started with your Bucket List, the first step is to take a few sips of that hot chocolate, stare out the window or into the fireplace, and let your mind wander. Think about what you truly want to do with the rest of your life.
Do you love to travel? Where do you want to go. If you are staring out the window but only seeing snow piled up, you may be thinking ‘beach’ and warmer weather. However, you may actually thrive in the cold, and want to go somewhere even colder – perhaps the Arctic Circle in February.
There may be something you have always wanted to learn how to do. Your excuse may have been there is no time, or there aren’t any schools or people knowledgeable that live close to you.
Or you may just want to step outside of your comfort zone and do something adventurous. This can be something as simple as traveling to a different country and experiencing a new culture or doing something extreme like scuba diving in a cage in shark-infested waters. I have to confess – I love a good adventure, but that one won’t end up on my Bucket List.
And there may be some of us with a heavy heart. We may have had a harsh parting of ways with a friend or family member and want to make amends. We may have lost touch with someone special in our lives and want to reconnect.
There is a possibility it involves doing something to help others. One of my mom’s passions was reading, and one item on her Bucket List was to teach others how to read. In her 60s, she took the plunge, signed up for classes, and for the next 25 years she spent most of her time with Adult Literacy programs.
We may want to go big to honor someone special in our lives, such as starting a charitable foundation, or becoming a volunteer with one already established.
The purpose of having this time to think is to explore your deepest desires and dreams. What do you really want to do? Where do you want to go? What experience do you want to have?
As you think about these things, I will give you something else to think about: It doesn’t matter how silly, unrealistic, wild, or expensive your dream is. It may even be a combination of all these things. You still need to write it down.
Keep in mind – your Bucket List will consist of things you want to accomplish and experience, but that doesn’t mean you will get to do them all. None of us have been given a distinctive date and time for our death. In some cases, it happens when we least expect it. But by having a Bucket List, we know we have in writing all the things we want to do if time allows.
And for those items that are more expensive, you now have an incentive to save a little extra in order to do it.
I just have to ask this: Did you write down the adventure of skydiving? According to bucketlist.net, that is the 2nd most popular item out of the top five. #1 is Seeing the Northern Lights, which is something I may add to my personal Bucket List.
Now that you have your list down, its time to make it seasonal. Using the letters S for Spring, H for Summer (I couldn’t have two S’s, it would be too confusing, so I just chose H for HOT!), F for Fall, W for Winter, and an A for Any Season, write down beside each item the best season to accomplish it.
You can’t go to Colorado for snow skiing in August, so that Bucket List item needs to have a W. But if you want to start growing a garden, you want to think Spring.
There are some things that you can do almost anytime. If your dream is to write a book or learn to play a musical instrument, those can be done no matter what the weather is doing outside.
When you think you have finished your Bucket List, be sure to leave room for other entries. As time passes, you may see or read about something else that catches your attention. Think about it for a bit and determine if it should make the list. If it does, then add it under the appropriate season.
The next step is to choose the first one. You may not have the money or time to go to Paris, France and enjoy the patisseries right now, but you can learn to bake French pastries. You can look for amusement parks close by and ride their roller coaster, and then save your money for the ones that are further away. And if you are really brave, start your research on where the nearest skydiving school is.
Another thing you may want to consider. Some of the items on your Bucket List may wane with time. At one point you thought it would be a good idea, but as your dreams, passions, and life shifts with age, it may no longer be as important as you once thought. If there are items on your list like that, you can either remove them, or add a question mark – just in case the urge strikes again.
What is on my Bucket List? While we are talking, I can look over my shoulder and see a Dulcimer and Autoharp sitting in my closet. I’m not very musically inclined, but I still want to learn how to play them.
Another item would be attending the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, and enrolling in classes to learn more of the old skills. I’d probably start with the classes on basketry and needle arts, and then get brave and learn shoemaking and how to dye yarn. The broom making, spinning, weaving, beading, and pottery classes look interesting as well.
A Bucket List is a great way to add anticipation to your life. It is also a perfect way to relieve boredom. But don’t just stop with making the list – get started on the easy ones, and then make a plan and start saving for those that take a bit more time and money. With the right attitude (and maybe staying away from the shark cages), you may still have time to complete most – if not all – of the items on your Bucket List.
What’s on your Bucket List? Be sure to drop me a line and let me know!
If you want to learn more about the topic at hand or get a transcript for this episode, just visit my website at www.thefarmwife.com/podcast. That is the Resource page for this podcast and I have it set up by episodes to make things easier to find. To help you out, this is Episode 45.
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Thanks again for stopping in. I will see you next week on Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View. And while you are waiting on the next episode, grab that glass of refreshment, pull up a rocker, and sit back for a while. It’s time to relax and enjoy.