his year I’ll
celebrate a
‘significant’
birthday, and the
temptation is to think about all the things I have yet to do, all the places I’ve never been. In other words: The Bucket List. In the movie of the same name, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, facing their imminent mortality, embark on adventures worthy of a film – they go skydiving, take a safari, visit the Taj Mahal – you get the gist. The list is impressive, and in a pre-or post-pandemic world, maybe even possible. Not right now.
Recently it seemed like we were getting back to life as we knew it before COVID. This summer, I was lucky enough to see family in Florida, go to the beach, hug my best friend in New York and see another finally marry his handsome fiancé. I feel incredibly blessed because the outlook doesn’t look good for the pandemic. It may be a while before I get to do those types of things again, much less see the Taj.
Besides, I’ve always found the idea of a bucket list a bit morbid. Like the men of the eponymous movie, the BL seems like the last gasp, a parting gesture on the way out.
Before the pandemic, Marie Kondo promised we’d find joy in having less clutter in our spaces, and I think that includes our headspace. It’s the last few months before That Birthday, and in tribute to KonMari, I submit to you something new: The UnBucket List, a list of things I vow NOT to do. If I have to face mortality, even in the long view, this list will help me focus on what’s most important, what makes me the happiest, and gives me permission to ignore the rest.
T