Henrietta’s face dropped. She looked down at the table before raising her eyes back to mine, looking morose. ‘What am I supposed to do with my bucket list at the moment? My life is at a crossroads and I have no idea which direction I’ll be taking. I’m restricted on the activities I can do, and I can’t make any long-term commitments.’
Her position meant that most of the things on her bucket list would not be possible right now, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t do any of it. Together, we reviewed her list. Was there anything that could be tweaked to make it more feasible in her current circumstances?
Learning to dive was not going to be possible. For now.
But learning to make bread? Well, that was another matter entirely. It would be relatively easy to fit into her everyday life and would be a satisfying thing to achieve.
Taking a drawing class? Maybe she couldn’t commit to a whole term of classes, but she might be able to do something online and take some steps in the right direction.
Making a ten-year life plan to provide a general direction of travel? You might not think that would be possible in the circumstances, but why not have a plan with different options in it?
‘Thank you, Julia. I feel like there’s something I will be able to do now. I just need to look at my bucket list differently and revise it in line with what’s going on in my life. I’m so pleased that I don’t have to drop it all, just because it’s a difficult time.’
For more on planning, working out which bucket list dream to pursue next and goal-setting, check out Live Your Bucket List – available as an e-book, paperback, hardback and audiobook.