The term “bucket list” appears to have originated in (and was popularized by) the 2007 movie with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman by the same name. It surprises me how young the phrase is given how pervasively it is used.

 

Do you have a bucket list? I had a list, of sorts, that I put together for my 50th year. I called it my “50 in 50” list, and upon my 49th birthday, I embarked on checking items off the list by the time of my 50th birthday. In its simplest form, it is a playful To-Do list on steroids. It was really fun until COVID put a wrench on my plans, and the list took a back seat.

 

Psychologists say a bucket list help you to create a life that is more meaningful and memory-filled. That proved true for me, as well as helped to keep a number of items that I had always wanted to try at the forefront of my mind—take a cheese course, learn more about jazz, attempt to stand-up paddleboard.

 

But why do you have to tie it to a milestone in life or before one dies? Why don’t you have a list for the simple pursuit of joy? As I look at my list again, there are a number of things, in fact a majority, that I can still do during these COVID times. Maybe not all 50 (and yes, having a list of 50 to-do’s in one year is an overachiever approach to the concept!), but a fun subset of them.

 

What’s on (or could be on) your Joy To-Do list? Do you have one? Could you create one? If you need help, simply Google “bucket list” and you will have no shortage of ideas.