Bucket List

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The Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson starrer, Bucket List was a movie that touched me and it was inspirational enough for days later, my bucket list was ready. Unlike the old men who had been given limited time and hence a small list of top priorities, when you have this misconception that you have loads of time, your list tends to be longer and almost greedy, I realized. In fact, I had to prune my list as it was fast becoming a daily to-do list!!

The bucket list is a list of things one would like to do in their lifetime before they kick the bucket. In the movie (a must watch) both the protagonists are diagnosed as terminally ill and so they decide to have a blast doing things they love rather than staying in hospital; the fact that one of them is a millionaire certainly helped!

Our routine life is not as dramatic but I am sure we have come across a number of quotes like “Live like it is your last day on Earth” or the famous Roman poet Horace’s part quote “Carpe Diem” which translates to pluck the day or seize the day. The crux of the matter is to live full lives for no one knows how much time they have left. The idea is to live each day to its maximum potential so that you have no regret as you leave your body and mind behind, if death came unannounced!

People who are below poverty line know this truth and live with a certain gay abandon- this stems up from the feeling that they have nothing to lose. The rest of us are in a rat race of some kind, sometimes in reality and sometimes in our heads. Personally, I guess the middle working class is affected most severely. They have read everything they need to do theoretically but are not able to actually practice it for they are exceedingly conscious of their bills and of their responsibilities. They conveniently leave death as a remote probability which wouldn’t affect them for a long time. It makes them feel better. After all, isn’t that what defense mechanisms are all about.

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I chided myself over my bucket list which included travel, philanthropy and many more seemingly important stuff to help this soul of mine to grow. And yet, when I closed my eyes and visualized being given time till midnight, I realized all I wanted to do was to have my family around me (I panicked that I wouldn’t be able to see my brother and family but reassured myself that a whatsapp call would at least let me see them and communicate) and say my goodbyes to a few friends who flashed before my eyes (again seeing them via whatsapp), leaving a note for the rest which my husband would post on his face book page just in case I left someone out since I don’t have an account anymore. I would ask Ma to cook all that I wanted to eat and I would relax and laugh a lot so that all those I left behind saw me happy. Oh Yes! How could I forget I’d squeeze my kids while giving them a thousand baby moral lectures and telling them what was what in my personal belongings! I’d spend some alone time with each and every one of them especially my husband for he has borne so much with me even though we aren’t related by blood.

Actually, if I died today I would have no regret just a small worry that my kids aren’t settled and that my parents would breakdown but I know my husband and brother would handle everything to perfection. My kids are also blessed with lovely grandparents, aunts and uncles who would keep checking on them.

I just had a Eureka moment! The rest of our worries are just because we have nothing better to do. We are greedy for a better life, a better body, a better something or the other but just think haven’t we given each day our all. I have! Even through my cribbing and my “let’s not cook and order in” moments, I regret nothing. Knowingly, I haven’t hurt anyone though I have given people a piece of my mind on occasions (never with malice), I have taken care of people close to me and not so close to me; in my limited capacity I have helped the underprivileged as best as I could and I know that all this would continue for as long as I live. I work hard and if I don’t compare my journey against a list in someone else’s head, I am a success story of sorts and I’d die a happy and well fed woman!

The problem is we measure success by how someone else defines it and we feel the harder we are on ourselves, the better we will be. No. All we need is to continue our lives in the same vein, thinking less, doing more while applauding ourselves for everything we do right or try to do right. Let us end the cribbing about not having reached our lopsided idea of perfect and concentrate on being happy and spreading cheer.

 

Credit: quotefancy.com