Recently I wrote a post and mentioned that I’ve had a bucket list for a long time and have had the opportunity to accomplish many of the items on it. Of course, I keep adding new things, which probably means it will never be complete. I’m okay with that.
You may have your own bucket list and be working your way through the joys of checking things off and loving the experiences you’ve chosen. I certainly hope so.
What struck me the other day was that I want to create an entirely new kind of bucket list. One that reaches deep within me, all the way to my core. It’s a bucket list filled with actions I take that connect me with others. Each action is powered by love, asking nothing in return, simply extending the love I feel inside me and offering it outward into the world.
My whole life I’ve heard that love is the most powerful, valuable, important thing in our lives. I’ve heard sermons, read books, seen movies, all focused on love. I’d be willing to bet you’ve encountered the same thing.
The downside of this for me is that what I hear and see is too generic, too ethereal, or too subtle.
I recognize it’s very difficult to capture the essence of love. It’s such a huge concept. How can anyone measure its depth, explain its mystery, or share its wonder?
Perhaps it can’t be done. But what I think can be done is to live it and show it through my actions. This is the reason I decided to create a Love Bucket List.
I’d like to share some items that showed up on my list with you.
One) when speaking with anyone, look into their eyes and connect with them.
Two) when someone is sad, offer them sympathy, not just with words or a card, but with a light touch, a hug, or a reassuring glance.
Three) when someone is hurting, regardless of the reason, offer empathy and a shoulder for them to cry on.
Four) encourage myself to offer acts of kindness no matter their size, because they all mean something to the receiver.
Five) forgive before being asked for forgiveness, allowing your heart to be wide open and free.
Six) offer compassion to everyone you meet along your path, knowing life can be difficult and beyond one’s limits.
Seven) extend warmth and caring in simple acts, like buying lemonade from a child or opening a door for someone.
Eight) remember you come from love and return to love so that you can assist others during the tough times they face, offering reassurance that, in the end, all will be well.
Nine) walk next to others, not ahead or behind, but next to them, offering support and comfort for their journey.
My list continues from these beginnings, taking on a life of its own and allowing me to extend further and further into my heart and back out into the world.
When I reread this list another important thought occurred to me. These items appear to be extensions of myself in an outward direction, but I also need to extend love inward, to my own heart. I need to support my own growth and treasure my own inner essence.
I have come to learn that love is a deep well connecting me to my divine source. When I depend solely on my own strength and power, I quickly experience an exhaustion of what I have available to me, but when I sit still and go within and connect directly with the divine, I am never exhausted and there is always love present, both for me and for the world.
Messages For Inspiration 