Who can think of bucket lists right now, with all the fresh hell that’s happening? On the other hand, what better time? What better reason? Taking steps (or leaps) to live our bucket lists in creative ways serves as a reminder of our ability to rise above our limitations and embrace life where it meets us. To persevere. To dare to reimagine what’s possible.
Writing my first book, Bucket List, when my daughters were little* and I was a full-time freelance writer on the bottom of a hill in suburbia, put me on a path that continues to deliver limitless possibilities. I know that I have the ability on a daily basis to create my own reality (hello, “Joy Campaign“).
With no time or money to Eat Pray Love my way around the world or go on a Wild walk, I found a way to live my bucket list** (and still be home in time for the school bus). Go month by month with me on a funny, fast-paced and fairly philosophical journey that might have you dusting off your own bucket list as well.
My God, if we haven’t learned anything this year, it’s this: Why wait to start living out loud, no matter what constraints we currently have?
I post about this little book every year at this time. It always seems to be the right thing at the right time for at least one person. Maybe that is you this year. For what it’s worth — I hope it helps. You are not alone.
Bucket List is a super-fast read (just 99 pages). It’s conveniently available digitally on the free Kindle app, which is instantly downloadable to any device. You may enjoy. Especially now. Peek inside the book. And then peek inside yourself and get ready to take your own leap of faith***.
* before Food for My Daughters
** written originally in a grad school class I was taking at night at Georgia State University (while nine months pregnant) while working full-time at the UPS global headquarters in Sandy Springs, Georgia
** I’ve been taking leaps of faith for a long time now (including daily during this historic Leap Year). Above is my latest leap photo (from this week, while working on this while Traveling at the Speed of Bike), practically in front of where I worked for four years (CNN Center) when I first moved to Atlanta from New York City thirty one years ago.
Top reviews from the United States
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect company for the holidays! Loved it!! Bucket List Made me laugh, it brought back memories and motivated me. I could smell the coffee brewing while she shared her next month s adventure with her husband. Pattie Baker shows us that ordinary is extraordinary. Pattie s writing reminds me of Anna Quindlen’s writing for The New York Times … witty insightful and warm … Perfect company for the holidays.
4.0 out of 5 stars Serendipity It’s how I came to read the book, and part of the book as well. I have never had a bucket list. My mother died young with her desires still on the list. If I want to do something that I can afford, I do it now. The author and I have a mutual Facebook friend, and when I saw her profile picture of her books, this looked like fun. It *is* fun, but it also has a message about not waiting for your fun. Loved it!
5.0 out of 5 stars So, so good!!! First time I was actually glad my cable was out, gave me an opportunity to read this GREAT book, and I was not disappointed. What an awesome read 🙂
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read. Much food for thought on making my own bucket list. Fun read.
5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed her journey and some of the immediate things you can do put on your Bucket List …I have been putting together a list after reading this book. I enjoyed her journey and some of the immediate things you can put on your “bucket list”. Fun, well written and inspiring.
5.0 out of 5 stars What a fun journey Pattie shared What a fun journey Pattie shared. The book will inspire readers to take action on their own lists. As you turn the pages you are reminded that a youthful attitude trumps old-age & wisdom every time. Bucket List is nicely written and deeply engaging.
5.0 out of 5 stars Reading Baker is now on MY Bucket List After reading and thoroughly enjoying Pattie Baker’s Food For My Daughters, I wondered if she had written something else I would like. With some trepidation I decided to give Bucket List a read, and I’m glad I did.
My hesitancy stemmed from a reluctance to read someone else’s “to do list before they die.” We all have check off boxes like that; and they’re usually nothing more than someone else’s desires and conquests; evoking more “So whats?” than “Wows.” In other words, boring and a study in self-absorption.
I quickly discovered to my delight, that Baker’s Bucket List is not about navel-gazing, nor is it about shooting rapids in freezing waters in Alaska, joining the circus and being stuffed into a clown car or being fired out of a canon. Instead, Baker tackles her own list of thrill-seeking and thrill-draining tasks that at first glance might seem rather mundane. Along the way, she discovers bigger truths about what we need to find while clinging to our mortality- and to be truly alive.
I’d rather not reveal too much about Bakers list but share that either intentionally, or unintentionally, she hits on deeper chords about fear and foibles, and what a Bucket List truly represents.
Baker’s Bucket List has made me start my own Bucket List. Number one on that list? Read whatever Pattie Baker writes!
Traveling at the Speed of Bike 