The term was wildly popularized since the movie. However at least from my case, my experience, a bucket list may do more harm than good.
By any name, it’s basically a to-do list, list of things you want to (need/hope/should?) do before you “kick the bucket”, or in short, die. However, attaching this list to the ultimate end, which is death, usually gives a rather false sense of how much time we have, because the ending is usually perceived as something far off. Well, it is not.
I used to make a bucket list of the places I want to go, and then I stopped at the 47th item, with 14 done. The list kept growing, too much faster than I could keep up with — to the point that many items seemed hopelessly unattainable, so I stopped. Turned out I stopped for a good reason. The last 3 trips were quite spontaneous (decision made 7 to 10 days before), and I love the decisions I made! On the other hand, the 3 biggest items in the bucket list I added since 2015 remain unchecked. And you know what, appending some item to a lengthy list is the best way to make sure you’re gonna put it off, and that item will find itself deep in the sad, regrettable “someday” column in no time.
So ditch the fucking lists, guys. You can’t have as much as 50 or 101 (or 1001 wtf?) things to do in life, and in fact, many things will be left undone. At any point, have about 2 things you (think you) want, and roughly plan it out to see if it’s possible within the span of the next month to the next 4-5 months. Besides, be open to the randomness, be courageous to embrace the spontaneous decisions if you know you do it because you want it, too. That’s how you’ll get your traveling experience broaden. It grows. Bigger, broader, deeper. By adding. Not by crossing off some soulless list till the day you die.
Lists are fun to make (lovely thing to spend time on when you’re procrastinating, too). People love lists. From the mundane grocery lists, to career bucket lists, travel bucket lists, 100 books you must read lists, 25 things you must do before turning 25 lists, you name it. To hell with the lists… There’s nothing wrong with having your wishes written down, but a bucket list is not a plan, and for this reason, it’s usually quite shallow. That’s why I’m not really into articles like “50 cities to see in your lifetime” or “101 must-see destinations before you die”. Besides the lack of originality, the most stressful thing is that they turn travel into an obligation, not something we do for pleasure. They only remind me of what I have not done and still *have to* do. Then on my 70th birthday, I’d still look at the list and say to myself “oh shit… I still have to climb the Kilimanjaro to cross that of this list”, is that so?
And there are extreme items usually found in people’s lists. Yet I guess those who climbed Mt. Everest must have climbed it for their own enjoyment despite the harsh weather conditions, to push their own limits, to find themselves speechless at the majestic view. Not to take some selfies, not to plant their flag, not to tell other how much they enjoyed it, not to brag about it on social media, not to cross it off your list. Otherwise the climb would likely be a horrendous experience not everyone should try. You want it, you’ll do it, no matter list or no list.
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