How much time do you spend deciding how you want to spend your time?

For the second consecutive year, my husband and I had a weekend retreat, spending time together to plan how we want to spend our time and money in 2015.

Last year, we spent five days in a cabin in the woods. We had large Post-it pads, and hung blank pages on the wall. There were titles like: “Top 10 places you want to travel,” “most important things to do this year,” “big purchases,” “creative hobbies to do together/separately,” “charity donations,” “things you absolutely want to do before you die,” “Urgent projects you want to get done around the house,” (Granted, some of them are more fun-oriented than others). Many of the items on these lists were taken from our individual bucket lists.

So in 2014, we had new priorities for the year. We spent more time with family – especially grandchildren – including hosting a family scotch tasting. (not for the grandchildren!) We took a trip with my parents to Utah and fell in love with Park City. (The mountains! The beer!) I began planning to create a blog. (This is it!) I got as far as registering the name: Melwriter.com (on WordPress). We had our share of upheavals as well: from the untimely death of my uncle, who was just days away from retirement, to the more-expected death of my father-in-law at the age of 93, I am reminded me over and over that there is never enough time.

One of my bucket list items is to lead a more creative life: Read more, learn more, participate more in my own creativity – from playing my clarinet, to learning mindfulness and yoga, to writing the young adult fiction that I’ve always dreamed of publishing. I will use this blog to document my efforts to lead a more creative life. And secretly, I hope to inspire others who are trying to do the same thing.

So as of today, January 19, 2015, I am living my bucket list.