I have a group of close friends who call our team the Tequila Squad. Every now and then, we get together for a weekend and laugh our heads off. During one gathering in Tucson, Nancy brought out little decorated buckets with 16 tongue depressors in them. She gave us colored pens. The idea was to jot down what things were on our bucket list and share them with the group. These were intentions and by writing them down we gave them life. Over the last few years, I have accomplished about half of mine.
These have been difficult times, and for many it’s impossible to see the future clearly, much less have a bucket list. Coronavirus has stopped us all in our tracks and forced us to put our plans on hold. It has challenged us to live in the moment rather than longing for life experiences. But I encourage you to come up with a bucket list anyway. If I were doing this now my bucket list items would probably be less ambitious, but there are many things you can accomplish.
I went to Moab. I’ve lived in Colorado for decades and never visited.
We rented a campervan for a week and did the RV thing in our national parks.
I started my online Bucket List Community Café.
Coronavirus in many ways has caused us to simplify our lives. Big plans for travel are out the window for now but smaller adventures, closer to home are possible. Seeing polar bears might be out of the question but there are grizzly bears within a days drive. And there’s no end to the things you can do to support your family, friends and community. Paying your blessings forward to those who are having a harder time these days is a great bucket list item.
Bucket List Community Café came from a compromise to my bucket list. It has always been a dream to have a coffeeshop/bookstore/art gallery like Tenn Street Coffee and Books or BookBar. I envisioned it as a place people would gather to share their news and stories. Brick and mortar is too big a step, so I created something on line. You know what? It has taken on a life of its own and has brought people together in ways I could not imagine.
This week Bucket List Community Cafe is celebrating one year of community service as a source of news and information about North Denver’s diverse neighborhoods. In response to the increasing need for community journalism, Bucket List Community Cafe has stepped up as a daily source of stories for the people residing from Sheridan to Quebec and I-76 to Colfax. It is your voice and your community.
The website and Facebook community have highlighted news, issues, businesses, culture, events, arts and dining, as well as people, places and trends at the grassroots. It has been a valuable resource during COVID-19 as neighbors have looked for assistance in various North Denver communities. Bucket List Community Café has also caught the attention of the local news media, city council members of North Denver, RNOs, and numerous non-profits. It has evolved into a reliable source of information that also features bloggers and aggregated news from other local news media outlets.
This was on my bucket list. Now I want to know what’s on yours. Do you have big plans or have your downsized your dreams? Even if coronavirus has forced us to be a bit more realistic in the short term, it is still worthwhile to write your bucket list and breathe life into it. Maybe we can help each other accomplish the intentions we set. Let’s share our bucket lists and inspire one another to keep striving. Let’s build a community based on our possibilities.
