Bucket lists have been all the rage for a number of years but have you ever thought of creating a “reverse bucket list”? Instead of a list of things to do in the future, a reverse bucket list includes things you’ve done in the past. Intrigued? Let’s talk about it.
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Create a Reverse Bucket List
One of my favorite Facebook features is “On This Day” in the Memories section. It shows you all of your past posts and major life events from the day you are reading it. I love being reminded of trips we’ve taken, events we’ve attended and things I’ve chosen to post about in the past.
This year, I’ve found those memories to be even more important. We haven’t gone anywhere or done much of anything since March because of the pandemic. Yet each day I have memories from the past to enjoy and relive via this Facebook feature.
While I think it’s still important to plan and have things to look forward to in the future, why not use this time to recall the past as well?
It’s too easy to get caught up in planning the “next thing” and not take enough time to really appreciate what we’ve already done.
I had been thinking about all this when I happened to see this video:
How a Reverse Bucket List Can Reignite Your Life
I thought this was such a good idea. Get out a pen and paper or create a list on your computer to print out.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Vacations and trips you have taken
- Events you have attended
- Concerts and other live performances
- Parties – those you’ve hosted and those you’ve attended
- Big life events such as weddings and births
- Accomplishments, both big and small
One of the hardest things for me this year is the lack of travel. We cancelled two previously planned vacations and we would have likely taken a few shorter trips as well. I could be really sad about that (and honestly, sometimes I am) or I could focus on all the great trips we’ve taken in the past.
When pictures of New Orleans, California or Paris have shown up on my Memories feed this year I’ve chosen to be grateful for those past experiences.
David and I have been so fortunate to attend numerous concerts and other types of live music over the years. We’ve missed it greatly this year but again, I realize how lucky I am to have experienced all those events.
The same is true for all the events we help host through our nonprofit and the 3-day music festival we have in our backyard each Memorial Day. This would have been our 13th year for the latter. All of these were cancelled this year but it’s fun to remember all we’ve done before.
And I must say it was rather exciting to have just this week won the award for “Premier Special Event over 1000 Attendees” given by Oklahoma Main Street Center for AdaFest, the music festival we help host in August. It was disappointing to have to cancel this year but our committee is hopeful for 2021. Our headliner, John Fullbright, has already committed (assuming it is safe to hold the event by August).
So I encourage you to brew a cup of tea or coffee and spend a half hour or so making your own “Reverse Bucket List”. Keep it handy and review it often.
As Clarence, the angel in It’s a Wonderful Life said to George, “You’ve really had a wonderful life.”
You May Also Enjoy…
Create a Stay-At-Home Holiday Bucket List
Creating a Stay-At-Home Summer Bucket List
Theming My Evening Leisure Time
Sometimes I love that feature, but other times there are things I’d rather not have Facebook remind me of. Still, I do think the reverse bucket list idea is an interesting one, and a great idea for how uncertain even the posibility of making plans is right now.