Okay, okay so looking at the title of this article, “bah humbug!” you may cry and rightly so. More so, if you look at my other article My Bucket List, “Hypocrite!” you may bellow and again justifiably so. But what do I mean when I ask the question “Are bucket lists restrictive?” well who knows maybe I’m on to something… or maybe I am just rambling from my keyboard as I often do.

So what do I ACTUALLY mean?

 

Bucket list, I’m sure you are all aware, is a list you write before you well… kick the bucket. Indeed, and you thought I was morbid! But why do we feel the need to restrict ourselves to basic, and being quite honest bog-standard overly used, activities to get done before we… take that end destination. Well, “for inspiration” you might say… “for life long dreams” you might echo.. but what are we missing through searching for other peoples stories?
So we all have seen the pyramids right? well if not, add it to the list… seen Chechen Itza, marveled at its head rolling stories (ahem!) but what did we miss along the way? What other, not-so-well-known, places did we not visit, booking that ridiculously priced excursio?. What places NOT on your very, very precise list did we not see? Trudging one by one together through the over packed lines of the tourist landmarks.

Have bucket lists taken away our spontaneity? Has trying to enhance our life and make it less ordinary turned us into the ordinary?

I find that my bucket list is every growing, my wants, my needs and certainly my knowledge of what is to offer is a never ending list of change. Never did I imagine, whilst venturing around the temples in Thailand the alternative method of transport would be to ride on a buffalo.. but there it is- Bucket list that! Never did I think catching a huge (and I mean monumentally huge!) fish in the ocean, on a boat.. circled by sharks… inside a plastic bin would be on my list of things to do.. but there you go what doesn’t read bucket list about that!? Well.. we did afterwards go to a private island, grill it, have some beers and bake in the sun. But you see where I am going here…
Life just.. well happens. Holding on to the what is to be, is restrictive.. and by God is it a little bit morbid.
Catching life, making memories, add that to the list- but don’t live by it. Don’t get caught up in trying to make a life, make memories that you forget to live one.
So, climb Mount Everest, by all means jump out of that plane, but don’t forget to look around… to try something new…something off of the list. Something to do before your bucket is well and truly kicked.

From One Bucket List Writer to Another,

Belinda
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