Five Minutes with Dr. Laura
As Long as I’m Still Here, I’m Always Going to Take on Another Challenge
I got interested in the concept of the bucket list.
You’ve all heard the phrase to kick the bucket?
That’s where the bucket list came from. I did a little research, and one of the things I found was that there is a genuine medical reason for asking people if they have a bucket list.
It was, according to the Journal of Palliative Medicine, to provide sensitive care.
Physicians inquire about their patients’ bucket lists and discuss what, if any, impact they may have on their medical treatment.
They want to know your dreams and hopes.
What are your plans?
What do you want to do? Because they need to talk about how the treatment might interfere with these plans.
Between 2015 and 2016, the Journal asked over 3,000 people of various ages from all over the United States about their bucket lists. And 91.2% of participants had one.
People who reported that faith, religion, or spirituality was important to them were most likely (95%) to have a bucket list, compared to 68% who were not spiritual.
A bucket list is generally defined as a collection of things you have not done but want to do before dying — or, more broadly, experiences or goals a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime.
I like the first definition because truly, I would say to people under 60, what are your plans? I would say to people over 60, what’s your bucket list?
Because it’s tied into mortality.
When you’re older, there is a tangible recognition of your mortality, the transience of our lifespans. A bucket list gives you the opportunity to reflect on your values, and to identify important milestones and experiences.
It’s a sign of hope and future orientation. You know you’re going to die, but you’re not sitting there, thinking, “Oh, hell, I’m going to die, I’m so depressed.”
It’s more acknowledging that “one day, I’m going to die.”
Between now and dead, “what I want to be and do” is much different than “I’m going to die in six months. These are the things I want to squeeze in.”
I’ve always joked that if I knew 24 hours in advance, I would eat a dozen donuts.
I’ve been so disciplined in my life, I don’t do donuts.
I did everything else.
I just didn’t eat donuts.
All right, so it’s a sign of hope and future orientation.
I call it a pre-bucket list.
A bucket list is, I’m focused on dying and I got to get it in.
A pre-bucket list is, someday I’m going to pass on to the great beyond.
And between now and then, what do I want to be doing?
It’s less final.
It has more space for growth.
Rediscovering your passions. You’ve put your dreams and interests on hold.
Work, family, responsibilities, other commitments.
Now, when you realize life is finite, you can redesign how you want to do the rest of it.
When people get older, they often do things like retire — a concept I never understood, unless they’re performing back-breaking work or something.
Older people generally don’t start out with a new plan.
I think the mentality is, I’m just going to have a nice day every day, and coast into debt.
Don’t do that. Fulfillment enhances your mental and emotional well-being.
Being creative, starting a business or a new enterprise, a new hobby, something new from scratch . . . How cool is that?
Oh, but I may only have 12 years left.
Yeah, but in 12 years, cook, baby, cook. And create memories.
Well, not for yourself, because you’re going to pass on, but for other people watching you.
It’s very inspirational.
I’m 78.
And as long as I’m still here, I’m always going to take on another challenge.
What the hell?
So that’s what I call the pre-bucket list. It’s of no value to get depressed over the fact that you’re going to be dead.
It’s just not useful while you’re alive to waste your life agonizing about being dead.
I’m concerned about using the life I have wisely until I don’t have it anymore.
And I’ve no idea when that’ll be.
Rejoice in what you still can do.
Taking on a new challenge is the definition of my name.
Fulfillment enhances your mental and emotional well-being. Being creative, starting a business or a new enterprise, a new hobby, something new from scratch . . . How cool is that?
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