Usually the bucket list is about doing and experiencing things. These things range from the small such as finishing an article to the big like organizing a conference. Some tasks are designed to learn new things while others force me to test more entrepreneurial waters. Things like planting a tree probably just take an hour while getting a Spanish intermediate diploma will take a few months of sustained effort. Then there's of course life beyond the list, working, studying and keeping on top of things. Amidst all of this it's pretty easy to go slightly meschugge. The more we do the more likely it gets to feel pressured and to forget our goals, values and dreams. Or you don't forget but you don't have the energy to follow through.
Many people who hear about the Sabbath and especially to what lengths observant Jews go think it's too constricting. Since returning from Israel I've made it a point to avoid using the computer or watching TV on Friday nights. Instead when I'm at home I read something inspiring and spiritually relevant. After a while my mum started to occasionally turn off the TV and we'd talk more often than before. I started waking up on Friday mornings with a joy in my heart for my little Sabbath. What I found that by voluntarily curbing my freedom to do anything I discovered the freedom of unplugging, of coming down and reminding myself why I'm here and that there's something beyond daily life that's important. The few times when I not only did it on Friday but carried through Saturday night were great. The feeling of not having to do anything is precious. Once my studies are finished and Saturdays won't be spent in the library anymore I'll start doing it for 24 hours a week. Even thinking about it makes me very happy. Try it sometime if you're even remotely curious.
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