Dear friends, spring is winding down. Graduations and all the festivities are coming to a close. College kids are home. Little ones are gearing up for summer camp or slow days at home. Friends are starting to share their take off dates for vacations and staycations. Summer flow is upon us.
This post is to invite you to include small intentional acts toward loving others and yourself, creativity and hospitality. I created a Summer Bucket List that I am excited to share.
Most of you tell me that you pick about three things on the list that speak to you. I pray you are inspired and motivated to try a few of these bucket list items. Scroll down below for a pic of my first bucket list item and a link for instructions to create your own summer bucket list (or just click right here).
Create a Space for Something You Love
Teas have become quite an event for my daughter and me. We have been on a long string of obsession with Pistachio and Peony Purim Tea with Raw Honey and Vanilla Soy Milk. The electric tea kettle was on the opposite side of the counter from the mugs, honey and other good stuff. I made a small adjustment for ease. Remember the small things my friends.
How To Create Your Own Bucket List
If you’d rather write your own bucket list, click here to read How To Empower Your Everyday with a Seasonal Bucket List. You will find all of the steps and purpose you need to create a list that fits you, your friends and family perfectly.
Today is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:18
Isn’t that the truth?
Isn’t it also true that most days are made of small movements and small actions that may or may not feel worthy of rejoicing?
Both are true.
Since both are true, I have a tried and true practice to share with you. My bucket lists get to the heart of everyday joy and gladness – – even when you have no great reason to rejoice or be glad.
Bucket Lists!
With bucket lists, we can intentionally choose to lean into Psalm 118 and build into our lives authentic happiness. We can light up the mundane, spark hope from burdens and shine rays of light into any day, week or month – – with the simple practice of creating and living out bucket lists.
I create bucket lists based on the small things I may overlook or not include in my daily planner or in life in general. My four buckets are love, self care, creativity and hospitality. Here are my reasons why.
Love
I chose love because I never want to lose sight of loving others. Most of the time, expressing love to someone else takes the focus off yourself and expands your perspective. Whatever may be taking center stage in your own life can take a step back while you direct care to someone else.
Self Care
In the same way I don’t want to lose sight of loving others, I don’t want to neglect myself either. I have been down that awful road of neglect and desire to forget not the value of a strong mind and body. Self care is an essential element to my bucket lists.
Creativity
I have a taxing career. Law lends itself to deadlines and conflicts and has little mercy for human error. Moreover, work does a good job of yelling louder than the other areas of life. For that reason, I must make space for creativity. My joy comes from creating, sharing and filling needs in creative ways. My creative outlets allow positive energy to flow into my career and the rest of my life. Hence, including creativity as an element of my bucket list keeps me moving toward a balanced life.
Hospitality
Last, I believe deeply that Jesus was the most hospitable person who ever lived. He welcomed others from the heart. As follows, wherever he was, he gave invitations. To dinner. To fish. To spend time talking. To follow dreams. To encourage. To see. To walk. To preach. To make disciples. Heartful hospitality is one of the ways I seek to mirror Jesus. I use bucket lists to help me pursue that end.
How ToCreate a Powerful Bucket List
When I begin to write a bucket list, I start with the four buckets of love, self care, creativity and hospitality and intertwine them with the season of the year. I search for inspiration on Pinterest, in the books that I read and in the conversations I have. I sit with a journal and colorful pen. I scribble, cross out and write some more until I have a working list. I usually have 4-5 items within each bucket. At that point, I organize the items so that the list is cohesive and distributed evenly among the buckets.
From there, I share with two or three friends to see what they think. After the feedback, I make a few changes and head to Canva to create a design.
Build Your Life with Bucket Lists
The truth is that not every day may lend itself to rejoicing and gladness. Despite that, we can lean into Psalm 118 and build happiness into our lives.
Today is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:18
As a practice, I clip my bucket list into my daily planner. I glance at the list from time to time and check off, with joy, the little things that I have done to make life sweet in every season.
Now that it’s the end of January, I’m sharing my bucket list progress update. More pics to come as I work through my New Year Bucket List.
Instead of buying your next bday gift, handmake or bake the presentChoose a pretty piece of card stock paper to write your 2023 Book List (This is my January book)Fill a purse you don’t use with items a struggling woman needs and bless her!Choose a growth area and ask a friend to join you in the journey for six weeks
Intentional joy matters. I would love to hear how you are pursuing joy in your own life. Share in the comments below or email me at sasha@sashaakatz.com.
If you missed the New Year Bucket List, here it is again.
My bucket lists are intentional guides to help you live out love, self care, creativity and hospitality in every season.
The New Year Bucket List reflects a trajectory of aspirations for this coming year. Think growth for your physical body. Loving others through acts of kindness. Creating space for your longings. Using lists for joy and not judgment.
I pray that this New Year Bucket List will help you grow more fully into the purposeful woman you aspire to be.
