Summer bucket list: 60 before 60
Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.
Al Bernstein
Summer is truly and officially here, and with it my Summer Bucket List. Last October, I announced that I would be completing a 60 before 60 Challenge in the year leading up to my 60th birthday and that the challenge would take the place of my typical seasonal bucket lists. Here’s how I’m doing eight months into the challenge.
Health and Fitness
Walk 60 miles on trails or roads I haven’t traveled yet. I’m making slow progress on this one…but progress none the less…18.25 miles to be exact. The 2021 hiking challenge for my office is in full swing, so that should help motivate me. So far, I’ve completed five beginner hikes and one easy hike on this year’s list, four of which were trails I haven’t previously traveled. This month’s only hike on new ground was three more miles on the other end of the beautiful Virgin River Trail.
Joy
Declutter 60 things. While I completed this portion of the challenge last month, I committed to continuing decluttering. Since last report, I gave away six items of exercise clothing and six colored towels that we no longer use. To be fair, these 12 items were replaced with 12 new items…I went on a little clothes shopping spree…so resulted in a net zero effect, meaning I will not add to the total count, which is holding steady at 70 items.
Learning and growth
Do 60 new things…that is 60 things I haven’t done in adulthood…if I haven’t done something since I was in high school, that counts as new. I’ve added seven things to the list since last report (those in bold below), putting me one shy of being on track to reach the goal of 60 things in a year.
- Started 52 lists for calm journal
- Tried Freddy’s (fast food)
- Tried brie and cherry honey
- Took a wine appreciation course
- Visited Red Cliffs Desert Garden
- Tried Dot’s Southwest Pretzels
- Tried pralines and cream cold brew
- Fixed a new potato pepper frittata recipe
- Listened to Ashley Campbell music on YouTube
- Downloaded PetFinder app
- Went through the pet adoption process
- Ate with my left hand
- Made a new friend: Buddy
- Tried online grocery shopping
- Drove a different route and took in my surroundings
- Tried Beans & Brew egg bits—not so good; I prefer Starbucks for egg bites.
- Cooked taco soup (new recipe)—loved it!
- Discovered two new blogs: Roughwighting and Annika Perry—loved them both!
- Tried a new beer: Uinta Brewing Co. Yard Sale Winter Lager—thumbs up!
- Meditated with eyes open—this just felt strange; I prefer eyes closed.
- Tried Zuppa Toscana soup—delicious!
- Learning to crochet—so far, I am enjoying it (though not yet good at it!)
- Tried Killer Pecans Smokin’ —They were good and, in fact, grew on me the more of them I ate…which was probably too many.
- Signed up for a virtual mixology class—I actually missed the class, but the kit arrived, and so far I have made two of the drinks. It is fun and delicious. Win win!
- Tried Shake Shack—it was good, especially the beer and the cookies ’n cream milkshake.
- Made Jamaican Jerk Chicken & Vegetables (new recipe)—yummy!
- Made glitter stress relief bottles with granddaughters—lots of fun and they turned out great!
- Built a swimming pool!—long process, but we love the finished product!
- Ate at Lonny Boys BBQ—delicious!
- Went to Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point—it was beautiful; a perfect day.
- Conducted a DNA test on my dog—easier than I thought; surprising results!
- Lavender cocktail at Oyster Bar—delicious and beautiful!
- Attended Meet the Universe Halfway (group coaching sessions) at Sacred Energy—loved it!
- Tried Handel’s homemade ice cream (Tin Lizzy, to be exact)—it was divine!
- Participated in a sound bath—absolutely loved it!
- Used TeleMed for the first time—they weren’t able to resolve the issue, but gave me some peace of mind.
- Learned some Portuguese phrases.
- Went to River Rock Roasting Company in La Verkin—beautiful scenery and the Cobb salad rocked my world!
- Met three new people—it felt a little strange to be on a business lunch again after so long, but it was such a pleasure getting out and connecting with new people.
- Downloaded Audible and listened to my first Audible book, Welcome to my Panic. It certainly made the four-hour road trip fly by.
Relationships
Commit 60 intentional acts of kindness. This month I have committed eight acts of kindness specifically with this goal in mind, putting me at 59 total…just one away from reaching the goal. I choose not to share every act, but to give you an idea, this month’s list included picking up the balance for someone who was short on cash for their total purchase, giving the First Time Grandmother’s Journal to my sister (a first time grandmother-to-be), leaving some dollar bills in random places to be found by strangers, and making cookies to share with neighbors and family.
Your turn
What about you? I’d love to hear what plans you have for summer (or winter for my Southern Hemisphere friends). If you have a bucket list, link up with us below. Otherwise, please share in the comments.
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
You’ve accomplished so many of your goals and that is inspiring, especially on Solstice Day when I have this idea that I should be making lists of things to do during the summer.
One of my plans is to investigate Audible. I don’t know if I’d like to listen to books but I’ll never know until I try it, I suppose. Somehow compared to all you’ve accomplished this seems like weaksauce, but that’s all I can think of at the moment.
Happy Summer Ally! I definitely prefer reading most books, but it was fun listening to Billie Joe Armstrong talk about his life in his own voice. We tried listening to a novel and didn’t like it so much.
Leaving dollar bills around!! Oh my stars, how I love this!! Thank you for sharing. I know you are humble and don’t feel terribly comfortable sharing your acts of kindness but sharing them with us is an act of kindness in itself as it inspires us to emulate your good heart.
Tin Lizzie – yes, please. Or Rocky Road. Or any Dairy Queen blizzard.
I have started keeping track of the miles I am walking each week. Have you heard of StepBet? You might like it and it might help you reach your walking goal. You join a StepBet group or game, pay an entry fee to join the group and then you are giving step goals to reach. If people drop out of the group because they don’t make their goal each week, their entry fee is divided among the others remaining in the group. So you get paid to walk!! I love it.
Beautiful scenery. Are these stunning photos shot near your new home? What a lovely corner of the world.
I love Audible. Have almost forgotten how to read with my ears because I am enjoying reading with my ears.
Hello Leslie! Leaving the dollar bills was fun, not knowing who would find them. I decided to add a sticky note with a smile and an encouraging message, so they wouldn’t think someone had dropped it. It does feel a little strange talking about your own acts of kindness, but triggering ideas in others is the goal, so I appreciate your validation that it’s working.
I’ll look into StepBet. It sounds fun and engaging. With the temps as high as they’ve been, getting outdoors to walk has been challenging. We’ve never seen it this hot in June–and for so many days in a row! It is beautiful when you do get out though. The pictures I shared are from around our new home in Southern Utah.
I still enjoy reading most books, but find listening to autobiographies told by the author really enjoyable.
Happy summer Leslie! I look forward to reading your summer bucket list.
Hi Christie – lovely to see you ticking so many things off your list – which also shows me that you’re getting out and about and connecting with new things in the world around you. After covid it’s great seeing people finding their way back out into the real world again and enjoying the simple pleasures that we took so much for granted. You’re certainly nailing your 60 before 60 list!
I couldn’t agree more, Leanne. It’s good to see the world slowly opening up again.
I love that you’re doing various acts of kindness. I really need to focus on doing that more often. It just brightens your day!
-Lauren
It really does brighten your day to do a little kindness for someone and hopefully it brightens their day as well. Win-win!
I hear it’s uncomfortable for you, but I love your sharing the acts of kindness as it helps me see my own (I do do them!) as well as inspires me to do more. I’m starting to add things to my own new experiences list again…which feels so good. This past weekend we visited a Botanical Gardens in Sarasota that was delightful. And I’m reading everyone’s summer lists to get additional ideas… thanks for hosting the link!
I think many of us do acts of kindness without even realizing it, Pat. Being intentional about it makes me more aware, so I get a little extra pleasure out of it, but also I do it more often…hopefully spreading the joy a little more. (That was a lot of “mores!” ?) I bet the Botanical Gardens were delightful. I love that kind of thing. Enjoy your summer!
Hi, Christie – From your completed list, I have:
√ Tried online grocery shopping
√Drove a different route and took in my surroundings
√ Downloaded Audible and listened to several audio books. I am currently listened to Richard Wagamese’s “Ragged Company”. It is truly breathtaking!
√ Discovered two new blogs: Jonathan Writes and Ju-Lyn.
√ I am already a huge fan of Roughwighting and Annika Perry—love them both!
√Tried a new beer: Salish Sea Pale Ale.
Thank you for the continued inspiration!
Thank you, Donna. Now I have a couple of new blogs to visit and a book to read (or listen to). Happy summer!
Hi Christie! Nice job!! You inspire me!!!
Thank you sis! ❤️
You are doing so well with your goals! I used to make a list each year with my boys called 52 Brand New and it was fun to find new experiences, foods, and things to try each year. Somehow we got away from that these past couple of years and I miss it!!
Thank you Joanne. I am enjoying these simple little “new” things. Perhaps you should restart your 52 Brand New lists. Happy summer to you and your boys!
You’re really making headway with your list. Such a great idea…I need to think about doing something like this to some degree.
I’ve really enjoyed it, Kirstin. Some of the things I probably would have done anyway, but keeping the lists has made me more intentional about what I do.