It took a terminal cancer diagnosis for Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman’s characters in The Bucket List to realise they hadn’t done all that they’d wished to do with their lives.
That doesn’t need to be everyone’s story. You can start making the most of your life right now and one way is to write down everything that you’d like to achieve before you die.
And in the wise words of Nike, Just Do It!
What is a “Bucket List”?
A bucket list is “an ode to freedom.” It’s about living well more than dying. It’s a type of contract
with yourself with goals that you want to fulfil before kicking the bucket.
Looking at the top items on bucket lists, you’ll find: walking the Great Wall of China, travelling the world, swimming with dolphins, paying off the mortgage, and becoming a millionaire. Notice a pattern? They’re not very personal, are they? They can be.
One danger of writing a list like this is heaping “normal” ideas of progress or success into one homogenous to-do list that just makes us nervous.
Let’s tip the popular items on their head by looking at three common regrets of the dying: “I wish I didn’t work so hard”, “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends” and “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me” .
Even though they aren’t the be all and end all, bucket lists remind us to stay active and to focus on what’s most important to us into our old age. Do you have one?
The luxury of fulfilling our bucket list: Put your list together with items from the Hills’ Active Seniors Directory.
With a rising life expectancy there’s now more time than ever to fulfil some of your greatest wishes and we have the luxury of knowing that. Would you like to make a bucket list?
Flick through the Hills’ Active Seniors Directory (find it via their website). If you’ve always wanted to learn to paint, make new friends or become fit, there are plenty of opportunities out there. We have picked a few activities out of the directory that you may like to try.
1. Socialise with other men at the Men’s Shed – The Shed Online
The Shed Online was founded by beyondblue, The Movember Foundation and the Australian Men’s Shed Association and it is a great place for men to make friends, share skills and have a chinwag with other members online. Find their details on page 6 of the Active Seniors Directory or visit their website: http://www.theshedonline.org.au/ If you would rather meet in person, consider Dural, Kenthurst or Hills’ Men’s Sheds.
2. Join your local Probus Club
Another option is to join your local Probus Club to expand your interests, socialise, meet like minds, and enjoy new friendships. There are many Probus clubs in the Hills area, including Bella Vista Probus Club, Ladies Probus Club of Baulkham Hills and Probus Club of the Hills. Find these on pages 3 and 4 of the directory and let us know if you join one.
3. Stay active by gardening or trying yoga
Reconnect outdoors, listen to guest speakers and enjoy garden trips with the Hills Shire Garden Club in Kellyville (page 14) or find a peaceful spot to reflect and reconnect with nature at the Bidjigal Reserve (page 32), where they offer guided walks. Read pages 31-34 to find many reserves and walking options in the Hills Shire.
Another way to ensure you’re not a stiff grannie or grandpa is to stretch yourself out at Dural Yoga Class or Debbie Simpson’s Yoga School (page 26). Have fun!
4. Volunteer in the local community
Volunteers play a critical role in the Hills community, and those aged 65-74 are within one of the age groups that are more likely to volunteer.
There are many organisations where you could volunteer your time and skills, such as Meals on Wheels or Easy Care Gardening (see Hills Shire Council website). Flick through the Directory in case a volunteer-based organisation sticks out to you.
Fun fact: Did you know that many researchers claim volunteering leads to greater longevity?
5. Discover the retirement villages in the Hills
One of the greatest benefits of living in a retirement village is that you’ve literally got everything at your fingertips in a tight-knit community, whether it’s the cafe, hairdresser, medical practice, or onsite activities at the Anglican Retirement Village in Castle Hill (our neighbours), or peaceful landscaped garden settings and workshops at Mawarra Village.
There are a few villages to discover on pages 44-45 of the directory. We’d love to know if you’re already living in any retirement villages within the Hills or if you plan to.
Live happily and leave your legacy
Keeping active and focused on what’s most important in our lives into our old age means different things for different people.
It’s never too late to do things you’ve always wanted to do to live a life you would have been proud to have lived but we cannot forget to include the story of George Bailey.
George Bailey (It’s A Wonderful Life 1946) who never achieved anything on his own bucket list, when given the opportunity to reflect on his life, concluded that it was worthwhile. Nothing could get in the way of the importance of his family and friends (and we don’t think The Bucket List strays far from that idea either).
You don’t have to tick everything off an itemised list to die without regret.
What counts is the stuff that matters to you.
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