Life is a one-time offer. Use it well. ~someone on Instagram
Have you seen the movie The Bucket List? A bucket list details all this things you would like to accomplish before you “kick the bucket”. In the movie version, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson star as two terminally ill strangers who get assigned to the same hospital room and must come to terms with their impending deaths. They sneak out of the hospital and attempt to crush their lists before they die. The movie itself isn’t really all that great, but it sparked a sort of bucket list renaissance, motivating thousands of people to ask themselves what really lights them up. It inspired the popular website bucketlist.org, where almost 5 million goals to date have been reached and chronicled, and the book 10,000 Things To Do Before You Die.
I’m a huge believer in bucket lists. I’ve made them since I was a teenager and have gleaned enormous satisfaction in marking items off those lists. Our lives are increasingly hectic, so we often get so busy making a living that we forget to make a life. Writing your goals down gives you concrete reminders of what lights you up and also helps to hold you accountable in making those things happen. I heard it said somewhere that an unwritten goal is simply a wish. The act of writing the list helps give you purpose, drive, and focus. The act of accomplishing things on your list creates those moments you’ll never forget, the times when your heart feels filled beyond its capacity.
For me, summer is the time to crush my bucket list, as it’s the only time I’m not leading yoga teacher training and my daughter Izzie is off from school. Over the last three summers, I’ve learned to play guitar, biked through Barcelona, watched the sunrise over the Grand Canyon from a helicopter, hiked Glacier National Park, sipped cappuccinos in Rome, attended a concert at Red Rocks, learned to surf, written a book, and led a 500 Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training Program. But there are plenty of things left on my list (see the northern lights, throw the first pitch at a Legend’s game, visit Norway, give a TED Talk, meet Liz Gilbert…). As I was looking over my bucket list the other day I realized that each of these items left are, well, BIG. Accomplishing them would require time off of work, a lot of organizing, and a lot of money. Three things that cannot happen right now, as this summer is dedicated to an enormous home construction project.
But I refuse to let a summer pass by without enjoying all the things the season has to offer (I’m a Leo, after all). Experiencing life on a smaller scale can be just as rewarding as living through those colossal moments. It’s more about waking up to the magic that exists all around us all the time. So I made a summer bucket list last week with my family, with the intention to complete the list before school starts in mid-August. Take a few minutes and make your list today, then get busy living!
1. Make sun tea
2. Eat a popsicle
3. Lie on a float in the pool
4. Watch fireworks
5. Have a water balloon fight
6. Make pizza on the grill
7. Hike in the RRG
8. Ride a Ferris Wheel
9. Make s’mores
Spend an entire afternoon reading in the hammock
Pitch a tent in the backyard
Blow bubbles (see picture)
Watch the sunset over the water
Wiggle my toes in sand
Lie on a blanket and star (or cloud) gaze
Spit watermelon seeds
Spend a whole day in pajamas
Do yoga on the porch
Drive a pontoon
Go to a baseball game
Eat a tomato off the vine
Three words: Ice Cream Man!
Play ladder ball
Play in a hose or sprinkler
Family movie night
Take Izzie to her first music festival
Hang from the monkey bars & swing at the park
