Things to do:
Laundry
Groceries
Clean bathroom
Make a bucket list.
We are all busy people. For many of us, it is life in high gear. For me, with three kids, a full-time job and a husband who oftens needs to travel for extended periods for work, I call it the triage of my life.
You live day-to-day, just getting the immediate problems dealt with – which kid is screaming the loudest, which soccer uniform needs to go in the wash first, which kid needs to be picked up where.
Soon, the grind seems to take over and you can lose sight of those things about life that bring you joy, that stretch your mind and kick you out of your comfort zone.
That’s why I was inspired by Shuswap Hospice’s bucket list campaign. Check it out at www.shuswaphospice.ca.
They have introduced a bucket list challenge 2015, suggesting that we could all benefit from making a to-do list of things we really want to accomplish in our lives. A bucket list is, to be blunt, a list of things you’d like to accomplish before you, ahem, kick the bucket.
An article on the Shuswap Hospice website by Elizabeth Scott, a stress management expert, says the process of creating a bucket list can bring clarity, a sense of purpose and more fun into our lives.
“When you make a list of all the things you’d like to do, this activity may be a springboard to becoming more aware of what’s really important to you,” she writes. “When you start thinking about what you really want to do, you can find perspective on how you are currently spending your time, and on what you’d like to be doing, so the time and energy for things that really matter to you aren’t eaten up by the time you put into the things that matter less.”
The society has started a list of its own to help get you started. It includes: Make someone laugh every day for one year, hike the Enderby Cliffs and give support to someone who needs it.
It is also pointed out that even if you don’t ever cross all the items off your bucket list, the very act of making the list is a valuable exercise in helping you to remember what you value the most in life. You probably will accomplish some of them – and some is better than none.
I have started my own list, although informally, when for my 40th birthday, having never played a team sport before, I decided to play soccer with the Shuswap Women’s Recreational league. Despite my obvious shortcomings, they welcomed me to the field and now it has become a highlight of my week.
But I think I need to go the step further.
Making my bucket list is on my to-do list.
Now I just have to make the time.