​TURN YOUR BUCKET UPSIDE DOWN AND FILL YOUR BLESSING BASKET by Pennie Hunt

Have you heard the term “Bucket List” to the point of pressure? Does it make you feel like you must work hard to always have a list of things you want to do? Are you tired of trying to keep that bucket full of ideas, hopes, and dreams? If you don’t have a running list of things to check off and post photos of on social media, you may feel like you aren’t living your life correctly.

​I​s it time to turn your bucket upside down and stop the pressure?

What if you began filling a basket full of your blessings? Fill a basket with all the blessings you already have and all the experiences you have already enjoyed.

Begin a list. Write down things as they come to mind- this could take a while. It should be a perpetual life list that is never completed, because memories will continue to come to you. Add things from your childhood, teen years, and current age. Let it flow and brainstorm everything you can think of. Did I mention this could take a while – days, or weeks, and hopefully you will continue adding to it throughout your life.

My list would begin, of course, with birthing babies, the joy of loving the people I love, and the happiness of having grandchildren. I would add the places I have traveled to and lived in, the people I have met, and the friendships I have enjoyed.

I would include the different jobs and career areas I have worked in. I have been everything from a babysitter to a cake decorator, librarian, banker, speaker, author, and columnist.

Don’t forget to add the fun you have had and any unusual experiences. I will never forget the experiences of walking on fire and swimming with dolphins in the ocean.

After thinking about this for several days, my list is getting longer and longer. I am sure yours will too. The more I add to it, I wonder why we would put so much emphasis on a bucket full of things we haven’t done yet, and feeling guilty for not making them happen, when we can fill a lovely basket of beautiful memories.

We are all occasionally sad or disappointed that we haven’t accomplished something. When you begin to feel sorry for yourself, ask yourself what is good about your life and the situation you are in right now. Add it to your list. Fill your basket with all the memories of experiences and accomplishments you have completed. It is hard to feel down when your list of blessings keeps adding up!

When you carry this basket of blessings with you, your life will look and feel very different. If you work diligently on the list, your basket will be overflowing with love and lovely memories. You will think of small, simple things you haven’t thought of in years, and the big, glorious memories that are probably photographs on your walls. You will live in a place of gratitude. It is gratitude not pressure that fills our heart and nourishes our lives.

When you live to be 100​ (I hope you do), you will not regret dumping the pressure-filled bucket list. You will be too busy feeling lucky that you experienced all the joy, happiness, and love in the memory basket of blessings that tells the story of your life.
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                                                     Pennie’s Life Lesson:
              “It is hard to feel down when your list of blessings keeps adding up!”  
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​YOUR TURN...        
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