Bucket lists are boring!

Have we got this concept a bit mixed up?  It’s not always about a list of big ideas or ‘must do’ items.  Joy can be found in little things, you don’t need to tick things off a list to be living your best life.

Finding joy and happiness in new experiences is the new black; remember that feeling of excitement you get when you’ve booked a holiday and then the countdowns begins.  It’s not so much the destination but the promise of new places, a break from routines and the possibility of what you may encounter along the way.  Maybe it’s the ‘moments’ that create the best memories.

One of the activities on our holidays is a lantern making workshop, a social enterprise set up by local ladies in Hoi An.  Recently one of the lovely ladies in my group mentioned to me that she wasn’t really into craft and was perhaps not so keen on this activity.  I suggested that there might be more to it than just making lanterns, but of course it’s not compulsory.  At the end of the day she took me aside and raved that she had really enjoyed it more than she thought.

But why, what had changed?  You see, it’s not the actual making of a lantern that’s the point!  It’s so much more than a craft workshop.  We had shared the delight in conversations with these beautiful Vietnamese women, asked them how they lived, heard their hopes for their families, swapped photos of our children, and laughed about our similarities and differences.  On the way we wandered down quaint streets to find the place, brought a Vietnamese coffee, chatted to the lady selling flowers, watched the kids on their way to school and immersed ourselves in the beauty and rhythms of a day in Hoi An.

Sometimes the magic is in the unexpected, hidden charms of just being on holiday somewhere else.  It’s got to be good for the soul.  Yes, we could have bought a lantern for $12 elsewhere if we wanted, but look what we would have missed.

Can you see yourself with us?  Let’s chat.   www.forgetmenotholidays.co.nz