The Summer Bucket List
Sometimes I like to look through old photos on my phone. (Can anyone relate?) Recently, during one such reminiscing session, I happened upon a photo from a couple of years ago. It was our “wish list,” so to speak. I remember making that particular list with such hesitation and weariness. You see, we were navigating a new normal after grief had entered our family’s world, and simply put: I wasn’t ready to dream. But we decided to go through the motions anyway. We decided to exercise our dreaming and hoping muscles. Looking back, I am so very thankful we did.
Now, two years later, we are starting another list. And to be honest, I find hesitation and weariness attempting to rear their ugly heads once again. I mean, when I think about life over the past few months... Can we all take just a moment and agree it’s been strange? Sometimes life is exactly that: strange and uncomfortable. Unsure and uncertain. Highs, lows, ups, downs, good, bad, and all of the in between. I’ve found, when curveballs are thrown my way, the moments, days, weeks, and months become a blur. We simply take each day as it comes.
If you’re anything like me, sometimes you look back and realize that you forgot (or, more accurately, chose not) to dream—forgot (or chose not) to hope, seek joy, or even plan for moments of rest. But friends, dreaming is good. Even in the midst of strange, uncomfortable, and dark days, living with hope matters. I want to challenge you to consider one specific way to seek joy and plan for rest with your family this summer: I give you the SUMMER BUCKET LIST!
Most of us think of a bucket list as experiences we would like to achieve or accomplish before we die. And while that is probably the most traditional use of the term, bucket lists can be used for smaller segments of time as well—such as the summer. Our family has used a summer bucket list off and on for a few years now. And, just in case visions of beautifully crafted, instagram-worthy bucket lists are dancing in your head, please know that there is space for every family to take their own approach. We have had color-coded bucket lists, bucket lists made on decorative paper, bucket lists written on plain notebook paper, bucket lists in the notes app on our phones... Each year our list looks different, but the purpose remains the same: get to know each other, provide space for memories to be made, and learn something new.
As you consider making your list, I want to give you a few ideas and share some things our family has learned along the way...
Get creative. What is something you’ve never done before? Paddle-boarding? Swimming in the springs? Making sushi? Put it on the list.
Don’t just think big! What are the small things you can do together? Take a walk. Make cookies. Go get ice cream. Play hopscotch. Sometimes the seemingly insignificant items on the list become the most memorable moments of the summer.
Ask every person in your house to contribute—even the littles! You might be surprised by what they come up with. I’ll never forget when one of our kids asked if we could add “have a dance party, then snuggle,” to our list. Yes, please!
Don’t count something out just because it’s normal. Even if Taco Tuesday is a regular occurrence in your home, if someone wants it on the bucket list, put it on the bucket list. That’s an easy win right there!
What is something each of you want to learn? Maybe your little one wants to learn how to write their name. Or an older child wants to learn how to mow the grass or parallel park. Maybe you want to learn how to crochet, garden, do calligraphy, or play the guitar. Go for it! (Y’all, a few years ago one of my kids put, “learn how to cut my own toenails,” on the bucket list.) The sky's the limit here. For real!
Leave space for rest and include the occasional, “needs to happen” items. Take a nap. Clean out the garage. Daydream. Find shapes in the clouds. Dance in the rain. Take old toys to a family in need. Paint the mailbox. (My “needs to happen” item for this summer? Clean off the ping pong table. Seriously—why does every single surface in our home become a storage space for my piles? We’re going to be playing some mean ping pong tournaments in our garage before this summer is out!)
Date each other! Date your spouse, your kids, and even yourself. This is a perfect time for reconnecting. This is my favorite part of summer bucket lists, friends!
Feel no shame in your list! Your family’s list does not need to look like your neighbor’s list, your best friend’s list, or anyone else’s list. Your family’s list needs to look like your family.
And one more thing: have grace with yourself along the way. Don’t worry about getting it all done. We never get everything checked off the list. That’s okay! The summer bucket list should never add stress, but rather create space for dreaming, hoping, seeking joy, and planning for rest.
I am praying for you and yours, my friends. May you dream, hope, seek joy, and plan for rest this summer!
Abbie Lynn Abbott is many things—musician, dancer, writer, teacher, city girl, farm girl, Hoosier, Floridian, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, mother, friend. Of all of her accomplishments and titles , Abbie is most proud of her family. She and her husband, Garry, have been a part of Summit Church since 2008. Though they've been involved in different campuses over the years, they now call Summit Waterford home, where Garry serves as Campus Pastor. Together with their three children, Abbie and Garry love being outdoors (especially near water), trying new foods, listening to music, and playing with their seven pound chihuahua - Winnie Belle. You can reach out to Abbie at aabbott@summitconnect.org.