I have a new favorite show--Idiot Abroad. It’s about an English guy (Karl Pilkington) who has agreed to go out and try, accomplish, experience items that are on other people’s Bucket Lists. What makes the show so great is that Karl is hilarious! He’s so uncomfortable, unwilling, sarcastic, deadpan and indifferent. But he often highlights the truth about the experiences that people think will in some way define them. (This guy and this show is hilarious – watch it!)
So this new TV addiction made me start thinking about my own Bucket List. I don’t understand or like that title, so I call mine a Life List. I have three general reactions when I read my Life List. 1) Frustrated. Nothing makes me feel more like a loser than reading my life list and realizing that I haven’t accomplished many of them. Examples: owning a home, paying off debt, travelling to all seven continents. 2) Anticipation. Many of the items on my list are actually do-able. Examples: travel to all 50 states, publish something, learn Italian, become a better tennis player or golfer. 3) Amusement. Some of the things on my list make me laugh because I don’t know where I came up with them. Examples: learn how to play the stand-up bass – why do I think I can do this if I failed at learning how to play the guitar; try stand-up comedy – am I even funny? . . . . Not sure; have a gift-wrapping room—I don’t even have a guest bedroom or second bathroom!; dress up like Marie Antoinette for Halloween—come on, think about those wide hip-hiding dresses and incredibly ridiculous high hair; and . . . . harvest cranberries—this one is my favorite! I don’t even know how they do this, but please let it involve waders and actually getting down into the cranberry bog.
On a more serious note, is it a good idea to put too much emphasis on a list like this? Let’s face it – most of the world doesn’t have the time, money, or health to think about such luxuries and leisure. So should we? The better question may not be will I ever complete this list; but rather is this a good way to measure the quality of a life? If you are a list-maker, you might love the idea of relegating life to a neat to-do list with check boxes. But the more I learn about life, the more I see that it isn’t about doing, it’s about being. And it isn’t about coming up with new and cool experiences to do, as much as it is about experiencing fully what you are in the middle of doing.
As much as I love sarcastic, deadpan, unwilling and indifferent Karl as he is watching gorillas in their natural habitat, walking the Great Wall of China, or climbing Mt. Fuji (because it makes for great TV!), I hope that he has plenty of moments of wonder and joy and passion as he experiences family, friends, faith and community. And I hope the same for me! And I hope the same for you!
