Birthday Bucket List Ideas

– Jennifer Elkhouri

A friend on Facebook recently celebrated a birthday and posted his birthday Bucket List — a list of things he would like to accomplish or experience over the next 12 months; with the number of items on the list equivalent to the number of years you are turning the following year. So if you are turning 24, your list will have 25 items on it; if you are turning 80, you will have 79 items on your list. My thinking is: be sure most items on your list are achievable and affordable — OR — limit yourself to twelve really amazing items and focus on doing one per month.

I was really drawn to this idea of a Birthday Bucket List — partly because my friend had some really neat items on his list (get ordained, finally do a respectable flip off a diving board, take boys on their first backpacking trip, surf on the east coast, see my abs, document the whole list), but also because of the definitive time limit to it. Traditional Bucket Lists are so open-ended that many of the experiences aren’t achieved because the list is just “out there” without any time goals. [I’m guilty of this.]

I thought it would be neat to compile a list of 25 ideas for Birthday Bucket Lists — some my own, some borrowed from others (like my friend), and I would love to hear your ideas as well!

1. Attend CureFest in DC.
2. Try to recreate a recipe of a dish from your favorite restaurant.
3. Visit a museum you’ve never been to before.
4. Visit a small town and learn something about their history.
5. Have coffee with someone 45 years older or 45 years younger than you.
6. Visit a new state.
7. Start a savings account (or, if you are all set in that category, start a savings plan for a child-in-need).
8. Go see a concert in the summer.
9. Go for a mile long walk in the snow.
10. Read a book from Thomas Jefferson’s recommended reading list.
11. Take a free course from Harvard.
12. Make a change to your hair color or hairstyle.
13. Pray for a stranger you meet doing errands.
14. Teach a child something.
15. See a ballet, symphony, or opera. If you frequent those already, go see a battle of the bands at a local school.
16. Commit to serving one day a month for a non-profit or cause near to your heart.
17. Perform a Random Act of Kateness.
18. Take a 30 day challenge.
19. See a play hosted by a local theatre group.
20. Buy a really nice staple item for your wardrobe.
21. Watch the sunset.
22. Watch the sunrise.
23. Spend an entire day “not connected” (no phone, no internet).
24. Go see a drive-in movie.
25. Send a hand-written note to commend a worker at a company who went above and beyond.

I truly believe our creator wants us to live well — not in a selfish sense where we are only living for ourselves. He wants us serve and love others and He also wants us to enjoy the beauty of life that He has created. I think a Birthday Bucket List is a great way to ensure doing that!