The "Live It" List

Social media and television talk shows are praising a young Oregon woman who chose to die with dignity by assisted suicide over the weekend.  During a discussion of this topic on "The View" this morning, it was shared that Ms. Maynard created a bucket list and set forth to accomplish many of her wishes in her final days, weeks, months of life.  Rosie O'Donnell offered a correction, of sorts, and said it should be called a Live It list ~ with which I wholeheartedly agree!!! 

 

We can and should create To Do lists that we begin right now...today, in fact!

 

Each of our lists will be very personal to the journey we want to take in our own life.  However, our lists do not have to entail only BIG events (skydiving) or expensive trips (Italian vacation) or require a great deal of time (degree-seeking).  They absolutely can include those kinds of things, of course, but they do not have to be exclusively over-the-top.  We don't want our lists to set us up for failure because we don't have the time, the money, the courage and then we make excuses and feel disappointment. 

 

Let's look at travel, for instance:  you can see where you live with fresh eyes.  Take one of those stay-cations!!  Request brochures from the visitors bureau of your county and one or two of the surrounding counties.  I guarantee you will be surprised at what you learn from those information packets that you have been missing out on in your own backyard!  There are museums, exhibits, parks, entertainment centers, theatres....and much more.  Has there been a city within the US you have wished your whole life to visit?  Request brochures, check out the calendar of events, research airline tickets and lodging.  Have you wanted to take a family vacation, with your siblings, parents, grandparents, etc.?  No better time to get the idea circulating, so everyone can coordinate schedules.

 

If you are interested in learning, but may not have the time and/or the money for college, try taking adult-education courses or join a book club (heck, START a book club). 

 

Perhaps you have never really taken time to pamper or treat yourself.  Maybe getting a professional spa service (manicure, pedicure, facial, massage) can make your list. 

 

Have you wanted to be a volunteer?  Run a 5K, a 10K, a 1/2 marathon?  Attend a conference or convention for a hobby or passion?  Do you want to improve your health, fitness, wellness?  Is there a hobby you have been putting off (there may even be a box, a closet, a room full of stuff)?

 

Get to making a list.  Brainstorm, writing everything down:  the extraordinary, the scary, the crazy, the simple, the long and short of it all.  The sky's the limit! 

 

Then, go back over your list.  Sit with each entry for a minute or two.  See if it stirs something within.  If not, cross it out and move on.  If so, highlight it and keep going.  Once you have gotten to the bottom, write all of the highlighted ones on a new sheet of paper.  Give it a title (this is important!) and the date (this helps to keep you accountable).

 

Now, which one(s) can you begin this very week?!? 

 

Which ones will require a bit of planning?  Maybe grab a file folder for those, label them and this is where you can keep track of everything you are doing along the process of meeting this goal. 

 

I have written a couple lists over the years.  Crossed off some that I met and crossed out others I no longer desired!  I still want an Italian vacation ~ so I need to make a folder for that one!!  Rather than professional spa services, I make a point to have products at home to treat myself weekly.  Self-care, which includes fitness and healthy eating, are a priority and make my Live It list possible!  A vacation with my family, in a few cabins, by a lake, in the woods, is also on my list (but even thinking of coordinating that gets me a little anxious, not gonna lie!!).  Other things include: fresh flowers monthly, more visits with my family in Florida, running a 10K race, finishing a graduate degree (maybe...), more volunteering, owning my own business (just gotta figure out what that is!).  My lists are in a binder, in a bag, at the top of a closet.  I will get them out this week to review, to add & delete and to begin.

 

What about you???  Are you ready to LIVE?????