Bucket List

One day – when I was scared about my future I wrote a list titled “Things I want to do before I die or Go Back To Work” since both were very  real possibilities..  (I had never heard the term Bucket List, it was 2001, 6 years before the Jack Nickolson and Morgan Freeman blockbuster -but that is essentially what my list was..).  My list kept me focused and it was fun.

Some things on it were light:
–          Eat an ice-cream sundae and NOT feel guilty for doing so – just enjoy it. That one took practice!
–         Make plans to see college friends that I had not seen in years

Others were more involved:  I wanted to go to Temple in a foreign country and I did!  I spent Passover in Italy and went to services in an old, beautiful synagogue in Florence. (For the first time in my life I did not kept Passover all that well – -Com’on I was in ITALY with all that amazing bread and pasta!)

Some things on my list were important to do alone. Some I experienced with others (Girls Day Out! Cocktails, in the middle of the day – not for a Wedding, or a 4th of July BBQ, but having a few friends take an afternoon off of work and just have a few glasses of wine and a good time with me)  Hey, I thought I might be not around so long – no judgements on that one ok? It was so much FUN!

Other examples on my list:
– Write a Children’s Book – I did!  I named it Jordan’s Big Day, and it described all the fun things I did when I would take my then 3 year old nephew out for a day in NYC.  I still love reading that book.
–  Say good bye to or take a break from friendships that were only “historical”and not REAL anymore and caused me anxiety or stress.
– Stay involved in my friend’s life and still be a good and supportive friend to them with whatever they were dealing with
-Write letters to my loved one – just in case…

Having the list – kept me feeling accomplished as a I checked things off . The list made even scary days somewhat fun bc I was always planning and looking forward to something.

I did almost everything on it – and it made my year and a half of cancer treatment more than tolerable.  It was a gift to myself – and I don’t think without cancer I would have ever have taken the time to things I always wanted to do and be so nice to me..

I highly recommend a list – you can call it whatever you want!