“One Day When” Bucket Lists

Let’s talk about bucket lists.

I realized this week that the Future Regrets episode on bucket lists is one of our more downloaded episodes, which surprised me! We talked a lot about our own personal bucket lists, and I didn’t expect so many people to be interested in listening to something that wasn’t directly about them.

So I’ve been wondering why. What is it about bucket lists that resonated with a larger-than-normal group of listeners? Maybe people listen for ideas to add to their own lists?

Or maybe they’re drawn by the sense that I feel about bucket lists – a sense of elusive wistfulness.

“Perhaps one day this will happen.”

“Maybe someday.”

“Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

I’ve thought so much about this since we recorded the episode a few months ago. “Bucket list” sounds like activities that are a discrete moment in time – after this experience, you go back to your “ordinary life.” They’re a series of high points, between which life is a slog.

Since the episode, and perhaps throughout this year as a whole, I’ve been very fixated on living the dream in between the high points. People say “just living the dream” facetiously, which is too bad, but what if I tried to live every day like it was a day in my dream life, the life that I imagine for myself? What would that look like?

This idea of not making everything wait until someday – until “one day when” – inspired my first book. And I hope it inspires you to not wait until “one day” to live life on your own terms.