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.
I didn’t grow up with the tradition of the season of Advent. Over the last few years, I’ve learned that it is a simple way to prepare your heart for Christmas.
Advent celebrates Hope, Faith, Joy and Peace as we eagerly await the light of Christmas.
First, we celebrate HOPE. Advent opens with an invitation to PAUSE.
We are offered the chance to pause the push of the holiday merriment . . . This is a small but significant cultural resistance we can practice in our homes, minds, emotions and relationships.
– Tsh Oxenreider, Shadows and Light, A Journey Into Advent
As I look back to my Advent HOPE notes from three years ago, I see that I hoped to learn something new during Christmas. I journaled that I was grateful to need so deeply so that Jesus could show himself to me so deeply. I desired to remember the oppressed with generosity and to savor Christmas.
I ended the week of HOPE with this entry:
God, you are working in the shadows. Even the dark is light to you. I pray for shadows to be revealed so that the light may come in and shine. You are so kind. Your ways are gentle. Your voice is like a homecoming every time. Help me be gentle and kind like you.
Second, we celebrate FAITH. We believe that something GOOD is on the way.
It takes a lifetime to sharpen the tool of faith with the belief that there is always good ahead. Do you have a realist in your life? I do. My realist often tells me the obvious, fact based doom and gloom coming on the horizon. I tell the realist that God has been good before and he will be good again. Everything will work out as it should.
I am a woman of faith + optimism + imagination for the good things of God. At the same time, I haven’t always believed my own words to the realist.
I have been up many nights thinking about the breadth and kindness of God. Do both extend to me in this set of circumstances? Will God use his power and love to work out this scenario?
There used to be an “off limits” part of my heart that gripped onto self reliance in case God didn’t decide to help. God has a good sense of humor since most of the important things that have worked out in my life have had little to do with me. God is funny that way. He changes our understanding of him without our help. I love that.
Third, we celebrate JOY as we ANTICIPATE the birth of Jesus.
Intentional joy is hard to pursue. Life has an abundance of commitments where we put others before ourselves. Serving others at home, work, in friendships and the community is a huge source of joy. There is, however, another side of joy. This joy springs forth from within. This joy is the difference between an internal self that resembles a parched garden and a well watered garden whose waters never fail.
The Lord will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose water never runs dry.
Isaiah 58:10-12
I mentioned that I found myself parched this Fall. The combination of low grade anxiety, sadness and tiredness brought me to pursue intentional joy. I aimed to replenish my joy one day per week with one small intentional act. My list may be small, but it has mattered to the state of my soul.
I walked with my mom in an outdoor nursery with calm music playing.
I ordered fun paper and embellishments to wrap holiday gifts.
I listed to the WHOLE original soundtrack of Mary Poppins in bed on a Saturday morning.
I wrote holiday cards to all of my Devoted sisters (my community group).
I filled an older purse with toiletries, food, cosmetics, two books and drinks. I am waiting to see a woman in need on the road to give it to.
I am pursuing joy in anticipation of the day of Jesus’ birth. He is the whole reason.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore.
Isaiah 9:6-7
Fourth, we embrace PEACE as we dig deep into GRATITUDE.
Gratitude is a popular word. We hear it everywhere. We see it on the cover of journals. We are told by the secular and religious world that peace and joy grow from living a life of gratitude. To me, gratitude came alive in learning St. Ignatius Loyola’s Prayer of Examen. To break it down, each day we ask ourselves:
How has the Lord provided for me today? What am I thankful for?
How did I move toward the Lord today? How did I bring him glory through my words and actions?
How did I move away from the Lord today? Where did I miss the opportunity to bring him glory through my words and actions?
Listen and Respond
At the base of every difficulty that etches away at our internal peace, gratitude awaits. God sweeps in with peace as we count what we have instead of what we don’t. The last week of Advent is the time we express gratitude to him as we celebrate the Prince of Peace.
Sisters, I made for you an Advent Inspired Bucket List. I hope you enjoy as you embrace the season of Advent and Christmas this year.
