Drop in the bucket

Have you ever heard someone tell a story about a trip they took or a spontaneous act that they just jumped in to do, and sat back in admiration and thought, “Wow. I want to do that!”

What’s stopping you?

When I was a teenager, I had a wide open slate of dreams. It’s what we do when we’re young. We dream about what our lives will be like, attaching specific details to each dream and feeding those dreams with the creativity of our imaginations. Then we grow up.

Responsibility seizes us.
Daily life develops into a ritual of requirements and tasks and obligations.
The world suddenly puts all these rules on us and, shockingly, most of us succumb. It’s unavoidable, right?

Not so fast, Spanky. Says who?

For some time, I have been hearing people refer to their “Bucket Lists.” It’s a reference taken from a Morgan Freeman/Jack Nicholson film in which two dying men conjure up a list of things they want to do before they “kick the bucket.”

Such a great idea. God I love how movies can inspire us sometimes!

Here’s a couple quick examples. I have a sister-in-law who did the “Penguin Plunge” a couple of years ago. Bucket List item, checked off. A coworker recently found herself on business travel in St. Louis, Missouri, just as this year’s World Series was about to begin. She needed a nudge (which I was happy to provide), and recognized this was a Bucket List item. Check it. Done.

I try to live my life with intention, and that means making the most of my days and looking back without regret over things that I “coulda, shoulda, woulda.” The times when I blinked and missed an opportunity to do something extraordinary, I remember.

Like when I was a freshman at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire and our men’s basketball team went to the NAIA Division 1 championship tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. A group of my friends decided to drive to KC for the game. What a wild idea! I was away from home for the first time in my life, making my own decisions as I pursued my college education.

Boy, did I want to go. I was an A student in my first year of college and making healthy choices to stay on a good path. I would have to miss classes if I went with the gang.

I blew it. I declined. Here it is 30 years later, and I still remember how disappointed I was for missing all the fun.

Let that be a lesson to me and to you, too. We don’t usually get a second chance to grab the brass ring. If something desirable beckons and there is no serious harm as a consequence, don’t think twice. Embrace the moment.

Since that pivotal college time, I have had plenty of other opportunities to tap my Bucket List. Looking back, I think I’ve done all right:

I have always loved horses and wanted to attend the Kentucky Derby. When two young male friends started talking up their intention to go, I jumped at the chance to invite myself along. Somehow, I found a way to get a ticket to a grandstand seat, mingled with the horses in the paddock before the race, and met some friendly people to watch the race with. Today, I can say that I experienced, first hand, the most exciting two minutes in sports.

Another time, I was sent to Salt Lake City, Utah, for my marketing job to handle public relations on an assignment related to the U.S. Women’s Bobsled team. When the team had finished its pre-Olympic practice runs, I was offered a ride in one of the sleds. I didn’t think twice.

This isn’t about being adventurous or doing bold things. It isn’t about spending whatever it takes to do something that puts you in debt and saddles you with more responsibility than you can comfortably live with.

This is about recognizing that sometimes life presents opportunities that are not planned or well timed. These moments just pop up. You can either take a pass, or you can listen to your innermost desires and decide if this is something that you really want.

American mythologist and philosopher Joseph Campbell said, “Follow your bliss.” He saw this not simply as a mantra but as a guide to individuals along the hero journey that we each walk in life.

“If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are -- if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time.”

Campbell was on to this Bucket List stuff a long time ago. He was in tune with the experience of life, and it’s the way we all should live.

If you’ve got a Bucket List, you are on the road to living life on your terms. You are out to really experience life. Seize those little gifts that come along. If you don’t have a Bucket List, here’s the thing to do:

Step 1: Get a Bucket (read: Get a Life!)
Step 2: Toss in all those ideas that tug at your imagination and ignite your passions and creativity.
Step 3: Keep your list close, to remind yourself that you have plenty of fabulous life experiences ahead.
Step 4: Stop following steps. Follow your bliss.

Question for Walking distance readers: What’s at the top of your bucket list?