Have you swum with dolphins yet? That time of year is nearly upon us, not just Christmas but the time soon after, for some, of New Year’s Resolutions; things we should do, will do perhaps, in the year ahead. Usually goals for some self-improvement; eat less, drink less, swear less, be kinder to others and so on. How about something more long term? This might provoke thoughts of ‘Bucket Lists’.
These can be viewed in a number of ways, begging a number of questions. At one level they might be seen as selfish, frivolous, self-indulgent fancies. Alternatively, they may be seen as the mechanism to get the most out of life before the arrival of a given deadline; before marriage, before baby, before reaching 70 (say), before the onset of debilitating illness (despite it or because of it). Or they could simply present a satisfying challenge, not time-limited: Read all the novels of Jeffrey Archer, listen to (or attend) all the Operas by Puccini, and so on. For the more energetic there are mountains to climb (all 282 Munros for example), a channel to swim, a world to circumnavigate single-handed and so on. Perhaps looking for targets to hit, goals to achieve, is an inherently human trait? It suggests the ability to see ahead, to maintain a focus and a hope into the future? We might all confess to having a bucket list, though not expressed in such terms; a top ten, say, of films, music or books?
Lists appear in magazines. There are books about them. Andrew Gall offers Make your own Bucket List, How to design yours before you die. There are lists for young people, old people, single people, couples. A quick search on-line gave this example, ranked in order: Fall in love – 83%; Go on a wine tour in Napa – 53%; Change someone’s life for the better – 52%; Get to my ideal weight – 47%; Go on a safari – 45%; Ride a hot air balloon – 45%; See the Northern Lights – 45%; Go to the Super Bowl – 43%; Swim with dolphins – 39%; Travel through Europe – 38%. If some of the above seems rather tame, the billionaires amongst us can now of course add ‘Go into space’.
You can dismiss them or you can take them seriously. You might embrace items on your list in the spirit of living every day as if it were your last (in a positive sense) making every day count, making sure you are doing the things you want to / are getting out of life the things that you want, before it’s all too late. Besides care for others, Buddhist Prayer allows the individual to seek to be well, happy, peaceful and contented. So why not a few simple pleasures for you?
Not all targets need to be self-serving or frivolous-seeming though. It is important to recognize content/happiness/satisfaction but not to be too selfish in pursuing this. One might take up the challenge of changing the lot of others. Reflecting on this, I considered the simplest goal to which we could all aspire to each New Year – to do something which left the world a better place than we found it. This might involve single-handedly funding the invention of a cure for Malaria or, less ambitiously, brightening the life of a lonely neighbour or friend.
After all that, what is my list? What do I actually want? There are people I should see again. There are people I should like to see/see again. There are places I should like to re-visit if I could afford it. But what would make me most happy? Simple pleasures, I have to say. When immersed in the peace of timeless surroundings, such as in the shade of Balaam’s Wood, could one ask for anything more? On a similar note, after a particularly splendid portion of fish and chips in Boroughbridge some thirty years ago or more I felt I could have died happy, there and then, my life fulfilled!
Good luck with your list in 2022.