A 20's Bucket List for my Daughter

                                 

When I turned 40 I had no issues, no breakdown about how old I was getting or any of those things people warn you about, but when my daughter turned 20 it was a completely different story. I had never felt so old. I also felt like I had wasted so much time in my 20s and I wanted her to live her life to the fullest and so with that in mind I started to compile a list of things I wanted her to know. Then I found several lists online, ones that people had written for themselves, ones from older people and younger people and all walks of life and I would see things on them and be like oh yes, that applies as well so a list that started out being a list of 20 things to do in your 20’s turned into this very long 20’s bucket list. I worked on it for a couple of months, adding, subtracting, changing and rearranging. Some of these things I have done in my own life and others are things I wished I had done in my life or earlier in my life. This is the list I gave my daughter on her 20^th birthday at her 20’s themed birthday supper.

Bucket List

If I Could Redo my 20’s

1. Take weekends off.
2. Keep a journal.
3. Be content with where you are – for everything there is a season.
4. Live in the moment – turn off technology for periods of time. Disable call waiting.
5. Stop a negative habit.
6. Meet new people.
7. Travel, travel, travel.
8. Always keep your internal dialogue positive, it shapes your reality.
9. Dance.
10. Take care of yourself – vitamins, get enough sleep, drink water, see the dentist and eye doctor regularly.
11. Exercise, practice yoga and take walks.
12. Make your birthday special. Give yourself a birthday gift every year.
13. Pay it forward. Give away things you no longer need. Occasionally give away money even when it doesn’t make financial sense.
14. Be open-minded. Allow people one quirk.
15. Take a class – something out of your comfort zone.
16. Move somewhere new, this is the time in your life to do it.
17. Take photographs – you won’t always have the memory you have now.
18. Explore your own town, county, province. Go on a road trip.
19. Try new things.
20. See live music and concerts. Play an instrument.
21. Decorate your bedroom – make that space really you.
22. Don’t underestimate the power of a hug.
23. Do some DIY projects.
24. Host a dinner party.
25. Plant a tree – or do something for the environment.
26. Run some sort of race.
27. Buy your own car and don’t let it become a pig sty.
28. Do 30 days of something – a 30 day challenge.
29. Travel somewhere you’ve always wanted to go – spend a year planning it.
30. Read great books.  Pick out a list and start working through it.  (For example, read all the Pulitzer Prize winners.  Then read all the Newbery Award winners.) Build your own personal library.
31. Pay attention to what makes you smile and do more of that.
32. Meet with God every day.
33. Get out of debt.
34. Learn another language.
35. Go on a mission trip.
36. Get married.
37. Have a kid or two or more. Don’t wait too long to have them.
38. Buy some original art and hang it up in your home.
39. Listen to classical music.
40. Climb a mountain, swim in the ocean, walk on the beach in moonlight. Spend time in nature regularly.
41. Do something crazy – zip line, swim with dolphins, run with the bulls, etc.
42. Decide to marry only the Right Person in the Right Way at the Right Time.  Don’t settle for anything else.
43. Adopt something, a team, a child, a pet, a human in need.
44. Go to Europe.
45. Read through the Bible several times and get to know what’s in it. Memorize Bible verses.
46. Make true friends and find time for them.
47. Recycle, and start a compost pile.
48. Paint, draw, write, sculpt, and create.
49. Know what you believe and why.  Truth matters.
50. Pay off your credit cards every month.
51. Thank your teachers.
52. Set up some way to save money – invest in yourself and your future.
53. Find a church and get involved there. Tithe. Encourage your pastor.
54. Visit your grandparents and parents. Discover your family tree.
55. Mentor someone younger than you. Find a mentor for yourself - it is good to really listen to someone older than yourself.
56. Plants some roses or tulips or rhubarb or anything and then learn to take care of them.
57. Vote.
58. Send hand-written thank you notes.
59. Visit your friends where they live now, and enjoy the time catching up.
60. Join a local sports team.  And play nice.
61. Come up with a realistic and workable filing system so you know where important things are and you can find them when you need them.
62. Clean your refrigerator and your bathroom regularly.
63. Volunteer.
64. Know where the best parks and used bookstores are in your town and visit them frequently. Get a library card and use it.
65. Camp out every once in a while, and sleep under the stars.
66. Celebrate holidays for the real reasons they were created. Make your own traditions.
67. Watch sun rises and sun sets often.
68. Keep a “People and Praise” file so that when you get notes of thanks and affirmation, you can keep them for when you’re feeling blah.
69. If you’re single, invite over your married friends; if you’re married, invite over your single friends.
70. Attend community theater; see a Broadway show.
71. Start a book club or join one.
72. Have manners.
73. Sew together a blanket out of all your old T-shirts so you don’t have to throw them away just because you don’t wear them anymore.
74. Throw a surprise party for someone.
75. Try to develop the habit of eating meals at the same times each day.
76. Graduate.
77. Go to free art shows and pretend you’re at the Louvre.
78. Bring doughnuts or bagels to work for your coworkers every now and then.
79. Sing and read to your kids before they go to bed.
80. Don’t pass up an opportunity because of fear.
81. Learn to cook. Have one recipe that is your specialty.
82. Enjoy the little things. Be grateful.
83. Add more things to your bucket list…