Why I Don't Have a Bucket List.

The idea of making a bucket list has appealed to me a couple of times, to be completely honest. I've come across websites that help you organize them, and plenty of people's bucket list pins pop up on my Pinterest page. I often have a moment of, "Oh, alright. I'll start a Bucket List board right now." My mouse hovers over the button on the page, but I don't go through with it.

I usually see bucket list items that I know for sure I want to do someday, so that's not the problem. Own a house. Go to Paris. Go skydiving. Go deep sea diving. Cook my way through an entire cookbook, start to finish.

The problem is that I can't make lists without the full intent of crossing every item off - and if I have an unfinished list, I feel like a ball of stress and failure until I've completed it. That's why I make lists in the first place. They help motivate me to get things done. Except usually my lists pertain to cleaning the house or finishing a bunch of work tasks, not things I must do before my life is over.

The truth is, none of the bucket list items that appeal to me are things that definitely matter. Going skydiving doesn't mean anything if I can't try it with my husband or my best friend. Owning a house will be a lot less enjoyable if I can't fill it with children, whether it's my own children or the children of my siblings and friends. I could cook my way through a cookbook or catch a flight to Paris, but if I'm not reaching the world for good, then why does it really matter?

I already have the things in life that really matter. I have a relationship with Christ, a family that I love, and friends that are always there for me. For the rest of my life, I will never forget how those relationships have shaped me and how they have made me feel.

If I make a list of other things I want to do or accomplish, it's only going to serve as a tool for making me feel inadequate. I'm going to feel pressured to finish it while missing what my life is truly meant for. I want to die knowing that I pointed others toward Christ and realized who and what I loved in my life. Keeping focused on those things can be enough of a challenge on its own, and I don't want to cloud those priorities with others.

If an opportunity to fly to Paris comes up? I'll take it. I hope that my life is full of opportunity and happy memories, but I don't need to make a list to remind me of what's important and what to work toward.

Disclaimer: I'm not bashing anyone who happens to have a Bucket List. Not at all. I just know that I'm a little too Type-A to keep a list like that. Too much pressure. Focusing on these other things is best for me. :)