Taking the Bucket Out of the Bucket List,
Part 1
by Karen S. Wiesner
In this two part
article, I discuss the wisdom and benefits of, and strategies for, drawing up a
personal bucket list as early as possible--long before the curtain of a life is
drawn.
Thanks for my fellow blog mates Rowena and Margaret for
inspiring this impromptu article with their suggestions for potential topics I
could cover on Alien Romances. Also thanks to those who critiqued this article for
their suggested improvements and enthusiasm before it was posted.
About 10 years ago, I
sort of watched the movie The Bucket List
out of my peripheral vision. My husband is fond of watching movies on one of
our TVs while I play Xbox games on the other. Condensing the theme of that
movie, two terminally ill, older men come up with a wish list of things they
want to do--and, in an abbreviated amount of time, they attempt to fulfill them--before
their time on Earth literally runs out. My first thought in response to the
theme of this film was, Why would anyone
want to do this when they're old, tired, dying, and it's nearly too late? Why
not do the things you're passionate about long before there actually is a
countdown to death and while young enough to truly enjoy the adventure(s)
undertaken? Few questions have ever motivated me more than these two.
As far as the internet
can tell, the term "bucket list" was either created or popularized by
that 2007, so-named movie. A bucket list is believed to relate to the idiom
"kick the bucket", which is a term that originated in the 16th
century. Be prepared to cringe: The wooden frame that was used to suspend
slaughtered animals was called a bucket. I think you can guess what happened
after they were hung up by their hooves. Yikes. Long story short, there was a
lot of kicking done just prior to death. A bucket list, then, is created to
clarify what one wishes to accomplish either in a specific timeframe (as in, "one
and done" tasks completed in a short amount of time) or by the end of a life
(long-term projects). Bucket list wishes can be self-actualization goals or
ones you've set for endeavors such as charity work, career, or family or
friend-related purposes.
While at that time I
didn't really sit down and write up a formal bucket list of my own, I thought
long and hard about which goals would make mine. The most important factors in
doing this, for me, were, first and foremost, that I would be able to enjoy them
all throughout the rest of my life, and, only slightly less important, that I'd
be able to accomplish my personal goals earlier in life than "at the
end".
My list actually wasn't
that difficult to come up with, as I'm sure other people will discover as well,
because many of these were already passions I was unwilling or unable to
indulge in thus far in my life. In the process, I formulated a list of four
things I'd spent my lifetime up to that point dreaming about but not believing
I could do. My reasons for not doing them stemmed from a) the expense involved,
b) the lack of time to undertake them, and c) being very aware that it takes me
a long time and a whole lot of effort to learn new things (in part because I
was already 45 years old when I embarked on this).
Unofficially, I suppose
the first real bucket list wish I made started with writing. I wrote (and
illustrated) my first story when I was eight, and I always knew that was what I
wanted to do more than anything else. There was little if any encouragement
around me for this endeavor but, in the defense of my friends and family,
becoming a success in this field isn't exactly a stable environment or income. When
I was 20, I was determined to make a go of it regardless. My first book was
published when I was 27…just after I'd made the heartrending decision to quit
writing because I'd already invested nearly a decade attempting and failing to
get published. Sometimes it takes that kind of irony to kick you in the pants
and inspire you to reach for more. I spent the next 27 years of my life setting
goals and pouring my all into making something of my writing. As I near the end
of my writing career at the age of almost 55, my published credits in most every
genre imaginable have passed 150 titles and these have garnered nominations or
wins for over 130 awards.
The bucket list of
lifelong passions I officially came up with after watching The Bucket List was quickly assembled (written down here years
later in all the detail I imagined from its origin), prioritizing my wishes
according to my deepest desires:
#1: Learn to play piano. I've loved music all my
life. I can't stand silence so music fills all my waking moments. I wasn't
allowed to learn an instrument in school, and I'd wanted to from the moment the
possibility was brought up. My goal in doing this wasn't fame or to perform in
a professional setting. It would only ever be for private enrichment and
perhaps to accompany family and friends--many of them musicians.
I started small with the
first Alfred's Piano instruction book and my son's discarded keyboard. I
practiced every day, teaching myself from the manual and asking my guitar- and
saxophone-playing husband (who was part of the praise team band at our church) for
help whenever I needed it. Naturally, that keyboard quickly didn't have what I
needed to advance (88 keys and pedals), but a generous gift allowed me to
purchase the beautiful piano I now cherish. I also started taking piano lessons
nearly a year into my efforts and took them for more than four years. When my instructor
moved away, I went back to teaching myself.
At the time I started, I
committed myself to this, my #1 bucket list priority, and I was disciplined in
daily practice and learning as much as I could about all aspects. I knew going
into it that it would be the biggest challenge of my life, and, boy, was (and
is) it. But it's worth it. Eight years in, and I'm still learning, still
developing, still passionate about it, and it's something I'll do, and enjoy, until
the day I die.
#2: Develop my drawing and artistic skills across
many types of media. I've been writing children's books as long as I can
remember, but finding someone to illustrate them hasn't been easy. I've had
many stories that I've written that I couldn't get anyone to provide artwork
for so they're sitting in my story cupboard, unpublished. In the past, I often
wished that the fledgling talent I've had all my life in this field could be
cultivated and honed into true ability. While I didn't at first intend to make
illustrating children's books a career, when I made my decision several years
ago to retire from writing soon, I realized that it was exactly what I wanted
to do once I've completed the last of my book 16 series.
I started slow and
cheap. Using inexpensive pencils and drawing pads or typing paper I already had
lying around the house, I randomly drew whatever inspired me whenever I had
downtime from writing. In the first year I undertook this, I produced a few good
things. I wasn't trying to do anything serious beyond seeing what I could
accomplish and what my strengths and weaknesses were. I knew if I let myself get
too excited, it would interrupt my writing, and I didn't want to do that,
considering I was counting down to completing my last several novels. I wanted
to devote myself to making those stories the best they could be.
Last year, finding
myself slowing down in general with nearly everything in my life, recovering
from writing projects became much more difficult for me. I needed longer breaks
and other ways to relax in between projects. I invested a bit more time and
money into my artistic endeavors. I found a place that offers affordable
DVD/streaming courses taught by some of the best experts in their respective
fields and purchased three art classes on drawing, pencil coloring, and
painting. These could be done as I had time and I could set my own pace. I
purchased artist grade pencils, paper, and other supplies and equipment.
Additionally, I reworked my daily and yearly goals to include times of writing
and times of art. I also decided to bring along my readers on this endeavor by
posting my art (such as it was) on my Facebook page. The response has been both
motivating and moving.
As my artistic abilities
grow, I'm finding the process hard, but also realizing I can do things I could
never have imagined I was capable of in the past. At the moment, I'm still reining
in how much time and effort I devote to these endeavors, but I'm only a few
books away from finishing the last of two series. Until then (mid-2024, if I
stay on track with my goals), I'm applying myself to learning and honing my
artist talents in the time I've allotted to it each day, week, or month, so, by
the time I'm ready to get started illustrating my first children's book, I'll
have a wide variety of mediums I'm skilled enough in to utilize.
#3: Learn a second language. I took a year of
French in high school and I was actually really good at reading and writing the
language, just not speaking it. When it started getting mathematical (the way
they do numbers is hard!), I dropped out. I've regretted my decision not to
continue. My husband is very good at languages--he taught himself ancient Greek
and he's using a program that makes learning a language fun and easy to advance
for Spanish. He's constantly asking me to join him in the program, but with
writing, piano, and art in my daily life taking up most of my time and energy,
I'm spread a little thin. I used to have a friend who spoke native Spanish, and
I always wished I could understand her when she talked to her family in the
language. That would have been the perfect time to start learning, as I could
have gotten real feedback and help in learning, but I was motivated at that
time. After I retire from writing, I'll have one less thing on my plate and I
expect I'll get involved with the program hubby's using to learn Spanish at
that point. (I do actually have a loose goal of 2025 set to start this.)
#4: Learning. Just learning. Like most people, I
have a lot of random interests that I've never had a lot of time to explore--learning
to sing professionally (I do have natural talent in this regard, luckily) as an
accompaniment to playing piano, finding out more about unique periods of
history (Medieval specifically), geography, space, art culture, and science.
The place where I got my art DVDs offers courses in a lot of these disciplines
that interest me. I don't currently have a lot of time, but I've already
mentioned that I don't care for silence. Usually I fill it with music or art
lessons. However, there are frequent slots in my day where I could easily be
listening to a lecture, learning more about any one of these random interests.
I always want to be learning new things that may inspire any of my other
abilities to new heights of creativity. That said, I wouldn't undertake this goal
until I'm well into learning a second language.
Next week we'll talk about strategies in taking the next
step toward achieving the goals in your life you're most passionate about seeing
fulfilled.
"Seize the life and
the day will follow!" ~Linda Derkez
Karen Wiesner
is an award-winning, multi-genre author of over 150 titles and 16 series.
Visit her
website here: https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/
and https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/karens-quill-blog
Find out more
about her books and see her art here: http://www.facebook.com/KarenWiesnerAuthor
Visit her
publisher here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/