Bucket lists

Most of us have bucket lists, whether we write them down or not. I too, had one that was full of travelling destinations, dare-devil exploits and the like. But when I gained the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, I discarded that list as most of the things I had planned to do, became undoable for me.

My fatigue, temperature intolerance or indeed my decreased mobility meant that I just wasn’t able to do the things I had put off until I could afford them or until I could make time for them. So I literally had no bucket list for a number of years. This was emotionally difficult– to go from having lots of things to look forward to or plan – to nothing.

On reflection this may have coincided with a loss of hope generally; as my quality of life diminished, so too did my optimism. Thus there was no space for a bucket list.

It was only after having HSCT, when my joie de vivre returned, did I realise that I had actually lost it prior to the treatment. Whilst this treatment proved to be my catalyst for realising this, it is by no means the only way. Your experience may well be different.

Illness is also not the only transition that can impact our bucket lists. Divorce or death of a loved one can also derail us from our dreams. In fact, I think any significant life change will at least require us to update our bucket lists, if not to restart them afresh. If you don’t have one, it may be time to ask yourself the question “Why not?”.

Previously, my bucket list included;-

Galapagos islands

Easter island

Giant tortoises

Birds of Paradise

Parachute jump

Hot air balloon

Pyramids

Great wall of China

(7 wonders of the world)

But I had achieved none of them.

Now my bucket list is populated with :-

Indoor skydiving -  

Steam engine experience –  

Cruise –

Aurora Borealis viewing –  

Learning Art –  

Pottery –

Writing a book – in progress

Getting a book published -

Having a successful business –  

Returning to the gym -

Being able to run –

Hot air balloon –

Of note to me is that on this version of my dreams container, I have achieved some of them. What this points to, is a shift in my mindset. On several levels.

One shift to happen is that I am living much more in the present moment. This means that I am taking the opportunity now rather than putting it off to a future that is, and has always been, uncertain.

Another is that I am including small things as well as large. So art classes are smaller and more immediately accessible whereas a cruise is less so. 

In pondering this, I have come to realise that bucket lists are actually the containers of our hopes and dreams. When we have no bucket list, we have no aspirations, no motivations, no hopes and no dreams. If we don’t have these, we don’t really have a good quality of life (QoL). Life can feel bare, empty, devoid of enjoyment. This is what is sometimes referred to as a joyless life.

Now I am in the process of re-igniting my passions – old and new. I am seizing opportunities, as much as possible in the here and now. I am creating aspirations and goals. I have things to aim for.

Whilst illness has demolished my bucket list, the treatment has given me an opportunity to recreate one. Your bucket list may have gone awry or disappeared for different reasons. But are you able to rebuild one now?

#BucketList #Hope #Aspirations #Motivations #BigAndSmallThings #QualityOfLife #Wellbeing