When I first created Unscripted Life in 2007, it featured a “bucket list.”

You’ve probably heard of this before. It’s a list of things you want to do before you die.. aka “kick the bucket.”

Some of the items I checked off included:

    ✅  go to New York City — definitely need to do this one again.
    ✅  feed a llama — yeah, not sure why I wanted this one… it spit on me.
    ✅  build a house with a creative loft — living in this house now and LOVE it!
    ✅  take my son to Disney World — we’ve gone almost a dozen times… so far… and plan to keep going.
    ✅  go on a cruise — we’re about to go on our third.
    ✅  buy a Jeep Wrangler — officially paid it off this month!

A couple of the items that I didn’t check off included singing on stage with my favorite band and fist-bumping President Obama.

While both would still be cool to experience, I won’t feel like I didn’t live life to the fullest without checking these off.

When I relaunched the blog, I intentionally left off the old bucket list because something about it didn’t feel right anymore.

I’ve evolved a lot since 2007 (thank goodness).

Somewhere along the way, the phrase “bucket list” started to feel less like an invitation and more like a countdown… a list of things to accomplish before time runs out. The idea landed like a quiet pressure cooker disguised as inspiration.

Dreams aren’t meant to become another set of expectations we drag behind us.

They’re meant to make life feel more fulfilled, more vivid, more spacious, more awake… and more ALIVE.

So instead of bringing back my old bucket list, I’m creating something new…

A Life List.

A list of experiences designed to make me feel more alive in the present moment.

The inspiration came from a movie called The Life List. I want to give credit where credit is due.

This sweet film is about a mother who finds a list her daughter made when she was a kid about the things she wanted to accomplish in life. It included everything from doing stand-up comedy to falling in love. The mother, before she passed away, makes videos encouraging her daughter to accomplish each item on the list. When she checks off every item, she will get a special inheritance.

Some of items on the list are big. Some are silly. Some scare me a little, and a few scare me a lot.

Some may change completely as I evolve, and others may get added after the moment sneaks up and surprises me.

That’s the point.

My hope is that, as I share these experiences, you’ll start thinking about the things that make you feel more alive, too.

Without further ado [cue the drumroll], here’s the expected-to-grow list of things I’m committed to doing simply for the joy of experiencing them.

The Unscripted Life List
(in no particular order)

       Stand on a glacier — Stay tuned… this one is officially booked and on the calendar!
       See the Northern Lights — We got a glimpse when the lights peeked South two years ago, but I want to see them fully!
       Perform at an Open Mic Night — performance yet to be decided… and open to ideas.
       Drink something out of a coconut — this was a request from my son, so now it’s a must!
       Fly first class — Stay tuned… this one is officially booked, and I got one heck of a deal on the flight!
       Take ballroom dancing lessons with my husband — It’s time to take our romance to the dance floor.
       Go skydiving — This one currently scares me a lot, but it’s going on the list anyway.
       Hug a giant redwood tree — Even just seeing one of these up close would take my breath away.
       Drink a glass of wine while looking at the Eiffel Tower — French wine, French food, and a kiss from my husband… cue the music!
       Build a piece of furniture — Something functional I’ll be proud to have in my home.
       Write an original song on ukulele and perform it in public — Maybe this will be the Open Mic Night?
       Have one of my photos shown at an art show or in an art gallery — This one already makes me nervous.
       Go stargazing somewhere with no light pollution — I have an idea on where to go to make this one happen.
       Host a cozy, creative gathering — Location TBD… requirement: somewhere beautiful.
       Walk through a field of lavender — These picturesque places have to exist, right?
       See bioluminescent water in person — The earth is so magical!
       Hold a sloth — There’s a 100% chance I’ll try to bring it home with me.
       Go glamping — This would be the perfect date weekend or girls’ weekend.
       Help bring a nature corridor to my home state — This is one of my biggest dreams!
       Explore the Scottish Highlands — my roots touch Scotland, so this would feel like coming home.
       Go on a carriage ride in the falling snow — Life in a snow globe… or a Hallmark movie.
       Drink at a pub in Ireland — Bonus points for every Irish drinking song!
       See a UFO up close — with all of the disclosure happening, feels like this just has to go on the list!

And more to come… this is going to be SO FUN! 

This list isn’t about proving anything, finishing everything, or becoming a more impressive version of myself.

It’s about remembering that life is happening now and what truly counts is joy, wonder, laughter, and stretching your limits to experience all this human experience has to offer.

What’s one thing you’d put on your own Life List?

I’d genuinely love to know. Share it in the comments below.