Pail Tales

The internet is filled with an endless supply of information on why one should have a bucket list, how to develop a bucket list, how a bucket list will enrich your life, etc. There is a lot of superficial stuff and some food for thought.

Why do I need a bucket list?

Traditionally, a bucket list is a list of activities someone wants to do before s/he dies (kicks the bucket). I don’t find the concept interesting. And clearly, it does not end well. In my 20s and 30s, I lived a charmed life, traveled a lot, had lots of adventures, accomplished important personal and professional goals. Then things slowed down - hobbies and vacations became a thing of the past; work consumed my time, energy, and thoughts. I never felt the need for a bucket list. As I eased into retirement, three things happened.

One, I realized that I did not want to plan big events, go on a dream vacation, or make a grand gesture. I did not want to have an album of selfies celebrating fleeting moments. I wanted my life to be a way of life I would admire if I saw someone else living it.

Two, I read a story (which I now cannot find, of course) about a guy who wrote down an item on his bucket list - a big item - and then built a timeline of what he would have to accomplish to prepare for doing the item. It was not about checking off an item on the list; it was about learning and preparing to accomplish something he valued. Prior to reading the story, I thought of a bucket list item as just a thing that someone would do given the money and the time, not that someone might have to prepare for months or years to be able to do it and enjoy it. I liked that idea, a lot. I liked the idea of preparing to do something interesting - being, not doing. 

Three, I came to realize that being fit was essential to creating a life I was interested in having and that being fit was going to be hard work for me. Not only was I going to have to go back to habits of my 30s, but I was also going to have to double and triple the effort. I would need to be focused on outcomes. For that I needed data and science. Far more data than what a Fitbit or an Apple watch could provide or the casual approach I had taken for the last two decades. Hence, the Oura ring.

What is "pail tales," really?

So, living is building a story. It has an architecture. I think of my future, as filling a pail with tales of everyday happenings that together constitute an interesting story. Rather than having a bucket list of the unusual, it is a living a life that is engaging.