Do you have a bucket list?

I don't have a bucket list written down, but I have a mental list. And I was able to check a couple off this year so far. My good friend Judy jumped at the change to purchase tickets to Oprah in Calgary and invited me along. Seeing Oprah has been on our bucket list for years. Even through I had only returned from my honeymoon the day before the Oprah event in Calgary, I packed a small overnight bag and jumped on the Red Arrow to Calgary with Judy.

What I loved the most about Oprah was her sense of humor and her presence. She is so real, silly at times,  I felt like I was listening to a good friend. What a gift she has been to so many, her wisdom and willingness to share so much of her life with us is priceless.

Finding the common thread

Oprah shared a concept about following the common thread through your life that could lead you to your passion. She talked about her experiences growing up in the church and even as a little girl she was speaking to the congregation, reciting poems ans scriptures.  Her common thread was in speaking and teaching.

My thread was not in the speaking or teaching world, but in art, design, books, music, animals. I have always loved horses, dogs, cats, any creature. As a little girl my girlfriends and I would spend hours running and playing like horses, then I would go home and read about horses, then pull out the sketch pad and draw them.

It was a teacher in elementary school that encouraged me to focus on my creative talent, which has lead to a career as a floral designer and graphic designer and a gift of seeing things in a different brush stroke. 

I feel pretty lucky to have been able to make a living being creative, but it doesn't always have to be that way to find fulfillment. Many people have corporate jobs and fill their evening and weekends with the things that touch their hearts. So I guess I am saying, quitting your day job to go out in the world and live your passion may not be feasible, so look for the thread.

Shut your eyes, remember the warm summer days as a little girl. What were you doing? Were you outside or inside, alone or with friends, was there music playing, what did you do with your summer vacation? Did you love the peacefulness of the  garden, or did you enjoy playing make believe with dolls, dressing them up? Were you athletic, playing ball or soccer or dressing up and putting on plays for the family. Maybe you loved to do crafts or make cookies with your grandma. Did you hang out in the kitchen? Did you follow around your older sibling and try to do what they were doing?

Now, as you think of these summer days, what does your face say. are you smiling as you remember a certain activity? How does your body feel? Heavy or light?

So now it is time to make a little room in your life and bring some of this back into your life. Experiment, take a drawing class, join a ladies soccer team...play, explore, follow the long thread from your childhood and rediscover yourself and your passion. If not now…when? Don’t wait until you retire…start playing now.

Dianna Bowes is the founder of Fabulous@50 and the editor of Be Fabulous! magazine. Dianna was the winner of the 2011 YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the Turning Point Category.