What’s on Your List?

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” — from “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver

Yesterday I spent some time revising my bucket list. I hadn’t done that in a while. It felt good to stop and think about where I am and where I might want to go (both literally and figuratively). A lot of things I listed are related to creativity. For example, I’d like to start drawing again. I haven’t really done that in years, aside from creating some small mandalas now and then (which I love doing!).

I loved to draw when I was a kid. In fact, I dreamed of being an artist. When I went to college, I thought that I would become an art teacher. Sometimes life winds in all kinds of unexpected directions—you never know where it will take you, right? I majored in art, but I didn’t become an art teacher. Instead, eventually, I developed an unexpected career in medical publishing, which after many other twists and turns led me to where I am now as a freelance writer.

But those things we loved as a child stay with us. They are part of our essence—the fabric of who we are. So, writing this list led me to both contemplate the future and reflect on the past. Where had I been? Where did I want to go next? What did I want to bring with me? What was it time to let go of? What did I want to pick up again (if anything)?

I also have newer interests that I want to dig into more, like herbalism. Just this week I made my first herbal remedy—elderberry syrup! With so much attention focused on our immune systems right now, it was finally time to make it and check it off my to-do-someday list. And, not only is it a health booster, but it also tastes pretty good!

There are plenty of other things on my list. Interests to pursue. Skills I want to improve. Places I want to go. What about you? What’s on your bucket list? Maybe the thought of working on a bucket list right now sounds absurd. But, why not? Why not use this time to imagine your future? To think about what you want? To decide how you want to spend your “one wild and precious life”?

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash