Fall Bucket List

The other day I heard a radio announcer speaking to his co-host about making a fall bucket list. 

I was intrigued even though I feel that the term "bucket list" has become a cliche.

From what I have gleaned, the term "the bucket list" was coined from the 2007 movie starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson of the same name.  The movie tells of the exploits of the two men as they complete tasks and experiences that they wanted to do before they die.  

The bucket list from the movie derives from the slang expression "to kick the bucket" meaning to die. There are many explanations for that expression:  

That expression may have derived from the Middle Ages and the method of execution by having a person stand on a bucket while a noose was put around the neck. The bucket was then kicked out from under the person and then subsequently hanged. 

It also could be from the Catholic tradition of sprinkling the deceased with holy water that was kept in a bucket by the body.  Friends and family would pay their respects and sprinkle water on the body.  

Another idea is that it is a childhood game of moving balls around randomly placed buckets.  If you touched a ball to a bucket you lost and would have to sit out the remainder of the game.

It may have come from a West African word, "kek(e)rebo" meaning to die.

There is some thought that it refers to a Latin poem where the just milked goat kicks the bucket of fresh milk.  In the poem it is an omen of death to come. 

However the original expression came about, the bucket list idea is that one completes a goal or activity before ones dies.  It is generally something that one has always wanted to do but for whatever reason hasn't done it.  It may be because of time, finances, or lack of courage. The bucket list items gives one permission to complete it regardless of societal norms and behaviors.

What I like about the idea of a seasonal bucket list is that we are identifying items that we want to do in the moment.  These are generally smaller, and I would argue more doable, goals.   The process of doing one thing might lead to doing more. 

What is one thing would you want to accomplish during the next three months?  Is it something you have always wanted to do?  Is it something that every fall, you say, "I want to do such and such.."  And every spring you say, "I never did do such and such..."

Put it on your calendar.  Plan for it.  If you have to do more research on how to accomplish it, put those research questions on your calendar.   You might want to form a new habit: at the beginning of each season, plan for one seasonal activity that you will do.

This fall I want to take advantage of the "free fall" activities in our town.  Every October, there are free shows and exhibits at local museums, theaters, and concert halls.   I need to look online and find what is available and then plan on going. 

You might not have on your fall list to climb Mt. Everest, but you might want to take a hike in the woods.  Whatever your plan, work towards it. Who knows, you might actually do all the things you wanted to do.

Perfect Day

Weather wise, today is a perfect day.  The air has finally lost its cloying stickiness of humidity but it does not have the crisp autumnal air yet.  It is as if the air is just in a mellow mood.

The sun is still bright and warm.  You don't have to look very hard to find the warm sunny spot as you have to do in the dead of winter. When I am outside, my skin feels the way it does on evenings after a day at the beach; the pleasant sensation of  cool evening breezes skimming over a taut somewhat sunburned face.  At this time of year, I don't need to wait until evening;  the day breeze immediately cools down my warmed skin.  I half expect to taste some salt on my lips. 

I love this transitional time between summer and fall weather.  Technically it is still summer but the days and weather lean more to the fall-ish side.  It is the day of sunflowers, chrysanthemums and gathering of acorns yet it is still the day of hydrangeas, sunshine, and sandals. 

I love the unhurried pace of the day.  It makes me want to achieve things but also to just sit back and enjoy whatever I am doing.  No time pressure.  No feeling of "hurry up and wait." Just a good balance of work, play and create.  It is a perfect day for all of it.  The sweet juxtaposition of doing and being; the active fall and the languishing summer. 

It reminds me of the month leading up to our wedding.  Just before it, I had an accident at work- slipped on a freshly waxed floor and landed right on my backside.  I was told to go home and rest for a couple of days. Even though the wedding date was looming, I found those days were wonderful. I could lounge in bed reading books.  A co-worker loaned me all of her D.E. Stevenson books and I was in heaven, reading about the trials and tribulations of everyday life in England and Scotland.  I was transported. 

It seems to me that the quality of today's air is like it was twenty-seven years ago. When I feel it, I am transported to a place where I feel mellow.  Like the country song says, "no shoes, no shirt, no problems." (except of course, the shirt!)

Every year, in September and October I look forward to days like today. I wish I could bottle it, but then I wonder if it would be as special?  When days like this come around, do I squander it or do I thoroughly enjoy each moment?  And, do I have to wait until my surroundings, e.g. the air and sun quality, are just right in order to feel this peace?  If I cannot bottle those qualities, can I still achieve this mellow feeling without it? 

Underlying the perfect day is a feeling of hope, expectation, possibilities and a future. Certainly those were some of my feelings leading up to our wedding.  If those are the qualities of a perfect day, why cannot each day be perfect?  

What about you?  Do certain times of the year speak to your heart?  When is it?  Why is it?  Is it a time of remembrance?  A time of hope?  A time of peace? 

Certainly Jesus promises us a peace that passes all understanding. When we trust Him, we do have a perfect day of hope, expectation, possibilities and a future.