The Bucket List

A morning visitor

I am sitting in bed at my sister’s home on Gabriola Island. The view is stunning. The morning fresh and dewy. A deer walks past the window. And then a racoon. A squirrel bounces up a treetrunk. An eagle soars overhead.

Morning rush hour has arrived.

Two years ago, my sister and her husband moved to their island home on Gabriola. It is their own personal paradise, their home filled with treasures, a reflection of their eclectic lives.

I arrived yesterday afternoon via float plane. One of my favourite ways to travel. It feels so in the moment, so close to the sky and the sea. So personal.

Ryan, the pilot, has been flying for Gulf Island Seaplanes for 13 years. There’s not a day when he hates his job, he told me. Sure, there are days when he doesn’t want to get out of bed, but once up and at work, he’s reminded of how fortunate he is to do what he does, and live where he lives.

The Islanders

Like my sister and her husband, living on Gabriola Island is a dream come true for him. A bucket list kind of thing.

It’s a relatively new term, ‘bucket list’, coined by screenwriter, Justin Zackham for his 2007 movie of the same name. He had a list of things he wanted to do before he ‘kicked the bucket’. Having a hit movie was one of them.

While visiting with my daughter and her family in Vancouver she asked me what was on my bucket list. It’s not something I think about a lot, I told her, the list of things I want to do or see before I die. Mostly, I want to live my life fully each day, experiencing life’s juicy moments with uncensored joy.

Love in a bucket seat

Yes, it would be lovely to see the Taj Mahal. The Great Wall of China, but even more, it would be good to know I have lived fully. Shared love. Spread kindness. Savoured each moment.

Where I do it is not as important to me as how I live and with whom.

And that’s where my bucket list lives. Not in places or things to do but in the heart. My heart.

And when my heart is full of time spent with those I love, my bucket list is full.

Namaste.

9 thoughts on “The Bucket List”

LG, there is an argument to be made – that having a list, just ‘your list’ is helpful in planning and guiding a life. I was encouraged to make a list a few years ago. I don’t share it with anyone – but I look at it every day. Sometimes I’ll tweak it – I’ll add something, remove something or re-prioritize something. I break it into three columns. To Do. To Have. To Be. The doing of things, the going to places – for me is much like most people I expect – the visiting foreign destinations and having experiences. The To Have list is far less important the older I get. Seriously, what do I need? The To Be list is the more challenging. To be a _________. To be someone who __________. To be happy. To be filled with joy. The To Be list is hardest of all – and best of all. To Be, or not to be … that is the question. Seems like you are have a great trip. Enjoy!

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Louise Gallagher on June 19, 2019 at 7:24 pm said:

I like your framing of it Mark. The To Be list has always inspired me. And yes, I am having a wonderful trip!

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MK, do not know you other than via this blog. You have piqued my interest with your approach about a “To Be” list. Bucket lists are fluid, changing constantly as one’s health, life circumstances alter the list. Now, a To Be list is a challenge as it steers one, even forces one to indulge in a bit of self-introspection, among other things. Thank you.
Back to LG, Gabriola Island is just the place for you, at this point in your life. Indulge yourself in enjoying the beauty, serenity, peace and solitude it offers.

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Louise Gallagher on June 19, 2019 at 7:26 pm said:

Introspection is a good thing Iwona when it provides guidance for the increasing of personal joy! I am loving my trip! Definitely indulging for my senses. ❤

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