Bucket List

A lot of people seem to be preoccupied with making a so-called bucket list. The concept feels a little stressful to me, having a bunch of stuff that I feel the need to accomplish before leaving this earth.  A little  rushed.  A little pressured. Yet I think bucket lists must be common because I’ve noticed that since I retired from my full-time massage therapy practice, I am often asked, “So what are you doing now?”  I tell them I’m reading a ton of stuff and exponentially increasing my knowledge, I’m writing short stories of fiction and sending them to literary contests, I’m camping in my sweet little teardrop camper, I’m taking classes in Spanish, I’ve started doing a little knitting, I’m taking long walks with my dog and I’m playing the piano again. And I get to take naps if I feel like it.  “Yes,” they say with grave concern.  “But what are you DOING?”  Silly me. I thought retirement was supposed to be about NOT doing — or at least not with the mentality of seeing how much I can get accomplished — and especially not doing, with the end result  being about financial gain. I very much like the idea of not constantly “doing” — I did that for years. I love the idea of “being” — and I find it fascinating that the Spanish word for retired is “jubilada”.  As in jubilant.