Staying Fit
Keeping a bucket list is something shared across generations.
Michael DeYoung/Getty Images
If you’re like me, you have your own personal bucket list. The idea of keeping a bucket list has been around a long time, but it was made popular about 10 years ago by the film of the same name starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The two men (one a corporate billionaire, the other a blue-collar mechanic) shared a hospital room and were both given a year to live. They decided to spend their last year doing all the things they always wanted to do and set off on an adventure to check things off their bucket list.
For most of us, the idea of a bucket list has little to do with feeling that we're about to "kick the bucket," but everything to do with making the most out of life. While we zoom through our days focused only on accomplishing all the things we have to do and should do, our bucket list reminds us to also focus on all the things we want to do and would love to do. It’s inspirational as well as aspirational.
AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal
Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.
I am by no means unique in having a bucket list — nor is it something reserved for the 50-and-over crowd. Keeping a bucket list, it turns out, is something shared across generations, according to AARP research. Travel ranks high on all of them, and the younger the travelers are, the more destinations they dream about.
I revise my list often. Topping my travel desires are Alaska, South Africa and Singapore.
Two years ago, my husband and I took our adult children to visit the Mediterranean. You’d be surprised at how anxious they are to go when they know you’re paying! It turned out to be one of the best family experiences and times we’ve shared together.
What a great thing to have in common with people of so many ages. What an inspiration for creating experiences with family and friends. It’s also exciting to learn that, even though a bucket list invites us to fantasize freely, half of boomers’ desired destinations are domestic and doable.
More on politics-society
AARP Poll: Voters 50-Plus Want Candidates to Support Caregivers
Older voters also see threats to democracy, Social Security and Medicare as critical issues in the 2024 electionWhat Issues Will Sway the Midterm Elections for 50+ Voters?
For many older Americans, winning their support will come down to how candidates plan to tackle real problems