“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the Trade-winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” H. Jackson Brown Jr.

This call to ‘seize the day’ leads me to the notion of ‘bucket lists’ , of creating & savoring experiences, of realizing that this life is not a dress rehearsal & that we owe it to ourselves not just to dream our adventures but to bravely live them out and who knows perhaps to spark in others the desire to make those dream fulfilling action lists.

In contemplating my own bucket list, I found inspiration in the postings of two bloggers who are dedicating their writings to assisting others to live full lives:

1) daringtolivefully.com  by Marelisa Fabrega &

2) bucketlistjourney.net by Annette

Now I am not suggesting that we all have to have the elaborate lists like those of Annette and Marelisa – for many of us these lists are unattainable in terms of the availability of money or time.  I am however proposing that we make this life about having fulfilling experiences – the kind of experiences that make such an impact on us that their memory remain with us long after the event has passed & that could add immeasurably to our health and well-being.  These experiences can range from those which we gain entirely from or actions that we take that make a positive impact on the circumstances and lives of others. Bucket lists can contain the simple and the elaborate travel adventure, it can be about connecting with people, it can be about solitary pursuits or it can be the enacting of a personal health or academic goal.

Whilst bucket lists are about planning for the future they can become overwhelming if we place undue pressure on ourselves to cross off every entry on our list.  The new mindfulness trend of creating ‘reverse bucket lists’ was therefore a pleasant discovery.  Reverse bucket lists are about listing all of the things we have accomplished to date – taking pride in what we have done and being grateful for the opportunities and the means afforded us that made these achievements possible – for me it is the ‘glass half-full’ approach’. In creating my own reverse bucket list I was surprised to recount all my achievements to date and it took me much longer than I anticipated because it required me to go back in time, to reflect, to acknowledge the people in my life and the circumstances that enabled me to achieve things and it therefore also became an exercise in deep gratitude.

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Mae West